Hi Chuck,
Enjoyed the appraisal article. In my little 325 sq. ft. pop stand store, 90% of the people who come in have similar junk. The most amazing part is why they don’t know what they have. And as I cater almost exclusively to real jewelry connoisseurs, people who don’t know what they have are the most likely to never, ever need or understand a custom goldsmith’s services.
I have one sign up that says, “No Appraisals – No Open Accounts.” The no open account sign is there for jewelers who I never met that walk in (for my rare hand engraving service) and expect instant credit. 90% suffer from “check book amnesia.” They’ve never met me, it’s the first time we’re doing business and they say at pick-up time, “I’m a jeweler, I’ll have my accounting lady send you a check as soon as I get back to the store.”
Of course this only leads to me having to assume a new career role as bulldog bill collector 30 days later on my net 10 invoice. (And I wanted to be an artist and now I have to be an asshole instead!”)
I wonder if these jewelers pull the same stunt when they go into a restaurant and buy their friends dinner. (I’ll be back next month to wash dishes for you.)
See ya,
James Roettger
J. Roettger Jewelers
Minneapolis, MN
www.jamesroettger.com
