Tale End: Jamison’s Revenge

Published

16 years ago

September 2, 2009

“I believe the customer is always right, except when they’re wrong, and when they’re wrong I will fire them.”

[dropcap cap=I] had a customer who bought several fine watches from me — among them a Patek Philippe — but he could be miserable at times. On one deal he got bad enough that I was done with him. The next time he came in I handed him a check and said, “Jamison (not his real name), here is a check for $100.” (A lot of money to me back then).
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“What’s this for?”

“You have been unreasonable lately and I am finished. That’s the first hundred dollars you are spending at your next jeweler because you are not shopping here anymore. You are not allowed in my store anymore. Bye, bye!”

He looked kind of stunned, took the check and left. We didn’t see him for some months but then one day he called in on a Saturday and asked, “Is Leo in?” The person who answered the phone recognized his voice and turned to me covering the phone. “It’s Jamison, and he wants to know if you are in.”

Curiosity and dread were killing me.

“Tell him I am gone for the day.”

I waited in my office, one hand holding the blinds open just a crack. Maybe he had snapped and was gunning for me?

He dashed in to be helped by Lisa, and she played like it was totally OK that he was there. Like nothing was wrong at all. He quickly spent about $45,000, which was a fortune for us back then! After everything was wrapped up and paid for he leaned close to Lisa, smiled and whispered, “Hah! I just screwed Leo!”

Leo Hamel
Leo Hamel Fine Jewelers, San Diego, CA

[span class=note]This story is from the September 2009 edition of INSTORE[/span]

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.