“Alabama Wholesale Diamonds is family owned and operated, and most of our employees have been with us for over 15 years. One of the reasons I believe we have such a loyal and trustworthy staff is because we all work together and treat each other like family. We have a lot of fun all year but we try to do some extra things to show our appreciation for our employees during the holidays to make the long hours just a little easier and more fun. Almost every day during the holiday season we pay for lunch to be brought in for everyone to enjoy. This helps our employees financially as they don’t have to spend money on lunch and, because they are not leaving the store to pick up lunch, they can spend more time selling which will increase their commissions. It’s also good for the store since we don’t waste time trying to decide what we want to eat each day and we don’t have our valuable employees leaving the store to pick up lunch during the busiest season of the year. Aside from the benefits to the store, our employees really seem to enjoy it. Everyone loves a bonus, so we increase commissions during November and December to help with the holidays, and it also helps sales. We try to be really flexible with work hours so if one person wants to come in late or leave early we do our best to make it happen. We all work well together and understand that we all have kids and families that also need our time. We realize everyone is tired and overworked during the Christmas season and we try to be very accommodating to all employee needs. Over the years, we have stopped doing an after hours Christmas party because we are all tired after working so much during the holidays and we all have other commitments and parties. Instead of an after hours party, we have a special breakfast on the Saturday before Christmas Eve and we all exchange gifts. It is such a fun day with wonderful food and good times. The families of employees come by and visit, which helps make the day extra special We have our entire staff there and celebrate being a happy work family that has had another successful year. We have been so blessed over the years to have a wonderful staff and a successful business. We feel if we treat our employees well and be very accommodating to their needs we can continue to be successful in the future with our great staff.”
Tessa Owen Stack, Owner (with father, Tommy Owen)
Alabama Wholesale Diamonds
Birmingham, AL
“Our employees are the backbone of our business, especially during the holidays, so we make sure we take care of them all through the season. We start providing lots of snacks and beverages daily from Thanksgiving through Christmas, and encourage our employees to share the beverages and snacks with our customers as well. We know that many employees enjoy giving gifts of jewelry to their family and friends during the holidays, so we offer special employee discounts (lower than our regular discount), as well as interest-free financing for any gifts they choose, if they need the assistance. We also give our employees extra bonuses for outstanding performance, such as closing bigger sales, during the holiday season. We have found that allowing our employees to wear Christmas-themed clothing or accessories, like Santa hats, decorated sweaters., etc., really helps improve the mood, and our customers love it as well. That extra touch puts everyone in the holiday spirit. The holidays are hectic for everyone, so we do our best to work with our employees on their schedules so they can have some personal and family time to attend outside Christmas parties and events. We always host an all-day party for our employees and customers on Christmas Eve, and we supply lots of finger foods, beverages and small desserts. The highlight of the season for our employees is Christmas Eve, and we reward them with very nice presents that night. As an additional benefit for our employees, we allow their immediate family or significant others who shop with us between Thanksgiving and Christmas to receive special discounts that will help them complete their Christmas Shopping lists.”
Medford Chason, Owner
Treasure Hut
North Charleston, SC
“Everyone loves cash so I give a cash bonus about mid December. I base it on time that they’ve been employed here. I also buy lunch at least once a week, more if it’s really been busy. I give other ‘thank you for being extra’ gifts throughout the year. Like gift cards or cash. I held an employee and family dinner one year, and it was nice, but the following year I asked what they wanted and was met with a resounding request for money, so money it is. Supplying desired brands of coffee or tea is another way I try to show my appreciation.”
Ashley Linden, Owner (with husband & son)
Linden’s Jewelry
Bella Vista, AR
“Estate Jewelers is a small, family owned and operated full-service jewelry store, which buys, sells and loans on jewelry. We have a great team of 13 full time employees who are all like family to us. Although none of our staff works on commission, we do give bonuses throughout the year to the entire team for sales goals that we set. At Christmas, we are especially busy just like any other jeweler, and it can be hard for employees to take breaks and lunches throughout the day. During the month of December we always make sure our fridge is fully stocked with fixings for sandwiches, fruits and veggies and other snacks, as well as beverages, in order for people to take breaks when they have time to fit it into the day. We also cater in hot meals throughout the month. Every employee also gets a holiday bonus for the year during December, based on overall sales for the entire store.”
Ed Szymanski (r), Founder (with president, Myles Szymanski)
Estate Jewelers, Toledo, Ohio
We want your opinion for our Retailer Roundtable. To answer a question or suggest a topic for a future Retailer Roundtable question, e-mail your name, store name and location to bill@southernjewelrynews.com.
