Headlines

Police Say Kay Jewelers Store Manager Swindled $15,000 in Merchandise

She allegedly abused employee discounts and store-closing discounts.

Published

4 years ago

February 5, 2020

INSTORE Staff

Police say the former manager of a Kay Jewelers store in Taunton, MA, committed larceny by using an in-store promotion code to get large discounts on jewelry, the Taunton Gazette reports.

Authorities say Samantha Peluso, 34, will be charged with larceny over $1,200. She’s accused of swindling her former employer out of about $15,000.

She allegedly bought 14 pieces of jewelry on Jan. 18 using employee discounts and store-closing discounts. The discounts ranged from 85 percent to 99 percent.

Peluso was fired following the investigation, the newspaper reports.

The store, located in the Silver City Galleria mall, closed a few days later, according to the Gazette.

She allegedly resold some of the jewelry.

Kay is part of Signet Jewelers Ltd. (NYSE: SIG), whose other brands include Jared and Zales.

When There’s No Succession Plan, Call Wilkerson

Bob Wesley, owner of Robert C. Wesley Jewelers in Scottsdale, Ariz., was a third-generation jeweler. When it was time to enjoy life on the other side of the counter, he weighed his options. His lease was nearing renewal time and with no succession plan, he decided it was time to call Wilkerson. There was plenty of inventory to sell and at first, says Wesley, he thought he might try to manage a sale himself. But he’s glad he didn’t. “There’s no way I could have done this as well as Wilkerson,” he says. Wilkerson took responsibility for the entire event, with every detail — from advertising to accounting — done, dusted and managed by the Wilkerson team. “It’s the complete package,” he says of the Wilkerson method of helping jewelers to easily go on to the next phase of their lives. “There’s no way any retailer can duplicate what they’ve done.”