The hardest-drinking jewelers in the business? They’re from the Midwest, with 17 percent of jewelry store owners or managers in the heartland putting away more than one drink a day. (Yes, compared to sailors or Madison Avenue advertising execs, you might say jewelers are a pretty sober lot.)
Our brothers and sisters up north in Canada were the least likely to imbibe, with 39 percent abstaining completely, followed by jewelers in the West, where 35 percent were teetotalers.
Another interesting fact revealed from the mass of data we collected as part of Big Survey 2016 was that jewelers who drink also tend to own the biggest stores. Just 21 percent of the jewelers who own stores that do more than $1.5 million in sales a year abstain from alcohol compared with 52 percent of owners of stores doing less than $250,000.
This finding backs up economic research from 2010 that found people with high incomes reported consuming more alcohol than people of more modest means (specifically, 81 percent of respondents making over $75,000 per year drink alcohol, versus 46 percent earning under $20,000).
Of course, opening a bottle of gin first thing in the morning isn’t going to make you a better businessperson. One theory is that people who drink more do so because they socialize more.
And getting out in the community is definitely a forward indicator when it comes to business success.
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How many alcoholic drinks do you consume a week?
0
1-7
8-14
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More than 14
This article is an online extra for INSTORE Online.
Four Decades of Excellence: How Wilkerson Transformed a Jeweler's Retirement into Celebration
After 45 years serving the Milwaukee community, Treiber & Straub Jewelers owner Michael Straub faced a significant life transition. At 75, the veteran jeweler made a personal decision many business owners understand: "I think it's time. I want to enjoy my wife with my grandchildren for the next 10, 15 years."
Wilkerson's expertise transformed this major business transition into an extraordinary success. Their comprehensive approach to managing the going-out-of-business sale created unprecedented customer response—with lines forming outside the store and limits on how many shoppers could enter at once due to fire safety regulations.
The results exceeded all expectations. "Wilkerson did a phenomenal job," Straub enthuses. "They were there for you through the whole thing, helped you with promoting it, helping you on day-to-day business. I can't speak enough for how well they did." The partnership didn't just facilitate a business closing; it created a celebratory finale to decades of service while allowing Straub to confidently step into his well-earned retirement.
