Southern Jewelry News

Decisions, decisions, decisions

15:02

October

2007

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Article Autor: Tammy L. Williams

I Love My Job!

Decisions, decisions, decisions

I had the best conversation with my son the other day. He had to attend his first “all staff” meeting at the place where he works. He works for Dave and Buster’s – an adult playground/arcade. They have pool tables, video golf, video games, two full bars and great food. When I asked him how the meeting went, I was surprised to hear how far this company went out of its way to make this a big event. They brought in food and the managers served the employees, they handed out awards and really made each employee feel special.

Towards the end of his story he said that he was a bit disappointed because they were not sure when they would have money in the budget for new ear pieces for the radios. My son is a “Captain” which means he is the assistant to the managers. Because of the size of the facility they use radios to communicate. Without the earpiece they are forced to carry this heavy radio in their button down shirt pocket. This is a big problem as their shirts get twisted, their ties become nooses and their collars rub on the backs of their necks.

After listening to him for a minute I said, “I bet when you are helping out the busers and you accidentally throw a fork in the trash that you will take the time to fish it out.” He looked at me quite odd; so I went on to explain. When you run a business you sometimes have to make very difficult decisions. I explained that your profit sets the budget which you use to run the business.

For me as a jewelry store owner some decisions are easy – if I have no diamonds – I have nothing to generate income. Therefore keeping an inventory of basic diamonds at the price points of my market is a must. Then you have the displays and the tools that you use to sell the diamonds – they must be maintained. Then there is the showcases and lighting. The priority list goes down and down until you get to the things that do not directly affect your income such as the color of the paint on the walls, the ability to organize the storage closet and the creature comforts of the “employee only” area.

I concluded by telling him, “With every napkin and fork that end up in the trash, for every dish and bus tub that gets broken, for every cart that gets a flat tire or pot that gets bent and for every apron that has missing buttons or a replacement name tag that must be ordered – your ear piece falls further down the list.”

It is a balancing act. You must invest in the “nice things” as well as the “must have” things – but when and how much is the key. I have been in stores that were stunningly beautiful that sold cheap jewelry and I have been in stores that were horrible but had a great inventory. It is all about timing and balance.

A few days later, on the drive to my store, I decided I would walk the facility with the eyes of a customer and see what kind of balancing act I was doing. Honestly, I was a bit embarrassed. After 4 years there were several marks on the walls, the lighting was not that good, my desk had become overrun with piles of papers that sat there because there was no room in the filing cabinet. The rugs that sat atop the hardwood flooring were very worn.

I vowed at that moment to spend every dime of profit from my next diamond sell on sprucing up the place. A week later we had a completely new look: fresh paint on the walls, a few new light fixtures, new rugs and a new filing system.

Spending money on a fresh new look was the best money I had spent in a long time. The reaction from my clients has been great. The feeling of pride and excitement has made the atmosphere electric. I was shocked to find that my clients seemed to appreciate the new look and they did not even miss the one piece of jewelry I chose not to replace.

I also know that when and if Dave and Buster’s gets those ear pieces there will be a big return on their investment. The return will be that they will have one thrilled employee instead of a neck worn grumpy one – and considering his sole purpose is to make the customers happy – they need to buy the ear piece.

Tammy L. Williams, Graduate Gemologist of GIA, also prizes her membership in AGTA. She is President of J D Jewelers, a salon private jewelry business located in Suwanee, Georgia and the Southeastern Rep for Global Diamonds. Tammy is very active as a speaker and authority on Gemstones and Diamonds. Whether in her laboratory at J D Jewelers, on the lecture circuit or writing about her experiences in business, her love and passion for gemstones becomes contagious. If you’d like to contact Tammy, please e-mail her at info@southernjewelrynews.com.