True Tales

These Two Store Owners Bit Off More Than They Could Chew

Two tales of free food gone wrong.

Published

3 years ago

September 20, 2021

INSTORE Staff

We used to have an open house in early December. We would put out a couple of trays of crab balls, shrimp and lots of snacks. I told a customer to stop in and have a snack and look around. He brought his entire family in and devoured an entire plate of crab balls and shrimp and then left. I mean … really. Thank God he doesn’t come in anymore. — Tommy Thobe, The Village Gem, Perry Hall, MD
A new staff member decided to stand outside handing out pizza, water and snacks to anyone who wanted a treat. Problem was that she gave away the pizza that I bought for my entire staff. — Earl Grenfell, Spellbound Fine Jewelry, Port Washington, NY

Looking for a Seamless Sale? Call Wilkerson

After almost 60 years in business, Breakiron Jewelers in Erie, Pennsylvania, was closing its doors. And the store’s owner, Linda Breakiron, was ready for it. She had run the store as its sole owner since the beginning of the millennium and was looking forward to a change. Of course, she called Wilkerson. Breakiron talked to other jewelers who had used Wilkerson and was satisfied with their response. “They always had positive feedback,” she recalls. With the sales, marketing and even additional inventory that Wilkerson provided, Breakiron insists she could never have accomplished her going-out-of-business sale without Wilkerson’s help. She’s now ready for the journey ahead, but looking back, she’d be sure to recommend Wilkerson. “They just made the whole process very seamless.”