[Jewelry making - Article 01667] - [Orchid] Interior Designers at Wholesale Shows

[Belle Barer]

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    I know some of you fellow orchidians have experienced this, I just
    don't know how I should deal with it - 

    So, I am at a wholesale show last weekend, it was looking like a
    slow show all together and then two women walk into the booth from
    "J&S Designs"....obviously personal shopping interior designers
    (who, in fact, were actually not really interior designers at all!).
    My first reaction was to ignore them and I told them I would only
    sell them a sample piece for 25% below retail. They were not happy
    about this at all, but I didn't really care because they were very
    pushy and annoying - I didn't pay to be at this show to cater to
    these people who weren't even supposed to be there in the first
    place. Then one of the women pulls out an order form from another
    jeweler and goes into this spiel about how they come every year and
    they place LARGE orders with people at the show every year. Hmmm, I
    feel like they were waving money in front of my face and using it
    (because they obviously have a limitless supply) as a way to prey on
    young designers to get good deals. 

    So I fled the booth. It was very...forceful. I didn't like the vibe
    I was getting from this whole interaction. I thought I had rid
    myself of them, but, alas, they came back. They came back and said
    they wanted to buy $1400 of jewelry and then some more later, I told
    them we could set up an appointment in a few weeks. This would cover
    the booth fee.....tempting. 

    Now I am at a crossroads, do I sell to them just for the cash (I
    really need it keep the business going) or do I ignore them
    completely and uphold my moral obligations of not undercutting a
    gallery I work with here that they admittedly shop at, when they
    don't get the deals? 

    There are so many pros and cons, I don't want to get into it, but
    really if they don't buy from me, they will find someone else to cut
    them a deal. But if they do buy from me, they might come back for
    more, or their wealthy Beverly Hills housewife friends will the see
    the jewelry and want some also, and then I'm giving deals to their
    friends, and so on. I just don't see my job as being someone random
    ladies personal jeweler. This is new territory for me and I would
    really appreciate some seasoned advice. 

Thanks in Advance,
B. Brooke Barer
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