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How big should the shop be compared to the showroom?
This question was recently asked of me and I’ve seen it over and over again
when I visit stores.
There really are two types of “jewelers” out there:
- Usually male, he starts out working at the bench and as business and money
grows, adds showcases and buys inventory. Or might expand or move into
larger quarters and adds more showcases but all the while keeping the shop
area a goodly size.
- The owner opens a store and adds a shop because they have hired a jeweler
and the shop increases traffic and is a needed, viable part of the store.
The shop is a must have for customer service.
Many stores need more showroom space. The showroom is small and that being
the case inventory is crammed into showcases. On the other side I’ve seen
stores with a small showroom have nicely laid out cases but they don’t
have enough inventory. More inventory equals more showcases needed.
But let’s add in another bump in the equation. Many stores have a large
administrative area. Offices, lots of storage space. Too much wasted space.
Most stores would do better to dedicate more space to the showroom. But how many showcases? One jeweler told me his formula and it seems to work well. He doesn’t put more than 10 pieces per linear foot in the cases. A 6 foot showcase doesn’t have more than 60 pieces of jewelry.
He told me that when he “uncluttered” his cases this way that “average
dollar sale increased and the time to sell a customer decreased”.
What would happen if you enlarged your showroom?
- It would force you to redecorate a showroom that was probably old and drab
looking.
- A larger store looks more successful. You want to step away from looking
like a “mom and pop” jewelry store, even if you are one.
- One important thing you’d remodel is the ceiling. Office tiles in the ceiling
grid looks like an office. Sofits that drop down look better. New lighting
is a must. One store I visited had old fashion drop lights and they were
turned OFF because it made the showroom hot! The only lights illuminating
the jewelry were fluorescent tubes. Yuk!
- You could dedicate some area to a kids play area, seating for hubby and
a sit down area to help customers with custom design along with a refreshment
area. We always had available in the showroom: lemonade, coffee and Girl
scout cookies.
Speaking of the admin area, many jewelers think they need more sales staff
when truthfully most stores could use more administrative help. Too many
jewelers wear too many hats. In many stores the owner sells the majority
of the store sales. The sales staff that’s there takes care of the smaller
sales, repairs, batteries. So if you are the owner and sell the most, you
could use a “personal butler”. Administrative people, who’d help you do
some of your work in the back, go get you diamonds from the vault for Mrs.
Jones to see, call in daily orders, type up your appraisals (you speak
them into a pocket recorder.)
Back to the shop, I’d definitely have it visible to the customers with
a large glass window. Being visible builds trust in the customers’ eyes.
If you’re going to have it visible, jewelers should be nicely dressed.
I’d suggest logo shirts, kaki pants, nice shoes, not traditional tennis
shoes. If you need logo shirts, go to www.queensboro.com. I use them even
today for my logo and polo style dress shirts.
Is there a magic formula for showroom to shop space? I can’t give you one,
it depends upon the space you have available. But always lean on the idea
of more showroom area. I would recommend having the polish room a completely
separate area from the jeweler’s bench area. Noise is a big distraction
in doing fine work as well as cleanliness.
Lastly many jewelers told me a fresh new look increased sales.
David Geller
Director of profits
www.jewelerprofit.com
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