[Jewelry making - Article 00068] - Re: [Orchid] BlueNile Vs. "wholesale"

[diamondeddy2]

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>        Why does everybody beat up on Wal-Mart? 

    As a watchmaker, as well as a bench jeweler, Walmart has created
    alot of business for my shop. Walmart came to my city about 12 years
    ago, and since then they have damaged literally thousands of watches
    during attempted watch battery changes. Hardly a day goes by,
    without 1-3 people /day walking into my store with a watch in pieces
    in a plastic bag, or the crystal broken, or a tight back off of a
    watch, and the customer says they have been to Walmart for a
    battery, and this is what they ended up with. Often times, Walmart
    sends them to me, and reimburses them for the repair costs, but
    usually most of them pay their own. My initial reaction to this
    years ago was to attempt to persuade people to understand how bad
    Walmart is for America, but I soon realized that I was making no
    headway in this mission. Instead, I changed my tactic, using this
    opportunity of a new customer in our shop, to razzle dazzle them
    with how it feels to get full service from a bonafide professional
    who really cares, rather than a minimum wage clerk. The biggest
    attack I ever use against Walmart( or any of the big retailers), is
    asking the next watch tragedy victim if they would let their kid
    sister or brother put a battery in their watch, because thats who
    they get at Walmart. While remedying their watch problem, either my
    wife or myself take the time to establish a friendly relationship
    with them, and before they leave we ALWAYS make sure that we show
    them some jewelry piece that I have made- anywhere from a simple
    solitaire diamond pendant to my solid 18k gold Monopoly set. We
    seldom make any concerted attempt to sell them an item on the spot,
    but instead make sure that they are aware that I handmade the item. 
    And most important of all,  we make certain that  their visit to our
    store became something special, more than just getting a damaged
    watch repaired. More special than another trip to their local
    Walmart Chinese Labor Union shop. How we handle Walmart, has made
    them my best advertising tool. I don't badmouth them to the public,
    and they keep sending customers to my door. I havent spent a single
    dime on advertising in 10 years, and we have been literally buried
    in business ever since. In addition to the damaged watch customers ,
    Walmart continues to sell crap grade "fine" jewelry that needs
    plenty of repair work, which creates my next opportunity. When
    people receive jewelry as a gift, their emotional/sentimental
    connection to the item is seldom swayed by who sold the item, and
    they will gladly pay  to repair, restore, remount in an attempt to
    save the emotional value. So don't let Wally World, Blue Nile, or
    any other supposed discounter intimidate you, simply capitalize on
    their negatives.  

Ed in Kokomo 

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