To Gift or Not to Gift? Our Brain Squad Weighs In

Question:

Do You Give Gifts or Goodie Bags to Customers?

Yes: 52%

• Yes, we give cleaning kits to all of our customers purchasing over $5,000 worth of jewelry at one time. Sometimes, if I get a freebie from a vendor, I’ll pass it on to a regular client and ask them to give me product feedback to see if we should bring it into the store. — Rebecca Larson, Barry Peterson Jewelers, Ketchum, ID
• I know how I feel when I get a little treasure … and I love it, so I try to do the same. — Sherrie Schilling-Devaney, Sherrie’s Jewelry Box, Tigard, OR
• We give our Linnea “Customer Love” bags out with purchases. Fully logoed items like hand sanitizer, polishing cloth and cleaners, rhinestone pens, nail buffs, lotion and cuticle oil. Brides get a wedding bag when they come in for final cleanings before the ceremony. Those are basically the same contents as the love bags, but in a reusable lace drawstring purse along with freshwater pearl earring sets from United States Pearl Company for last-minute unplanned gifts. We get rave reviews, especially during the holidays. — Denise Oros, Linnea Jewelers, La Grange, IL
• At least our top 20. We do wine, charcuterie boards and centerpiece flower attachment for Thanksgiving. — Joel Wiland, J. David’s Jewelry, Broken Arrow, OK
• We have custom candles made with our logo on them for customers who spend over $1,000. They always love this little treat, and the scent is part of our store branding plan. We burn the same candles in both of our stores! — Daniela Balzano, Water Street Jewelers, Guilford, CT
• When we sell an engagement ring, we give a bag with champagne glasses and other little gifts. — Karin Burg, The Corner Studio, Sheboygan Falls, WI
• I give custom chocolate bars with my logo embedded. They know I appreciate them, and who doesn’t like chocolate? — Amber Gustafson, Amber’s Designs, Katy, TX
• 200 goodie bags including $100 gift certs to top customers. — Dorothy Vodicka, The Gem Collection, Tallahassee, FL
• We give out reusable shopping bags with our name on it. Everyone likes to get something extra for free, and it keeps our name out in the community! — Christine Graichen, Malloves Jewelers, Middletown, CT
• We give to our top 100 customers every Christmas season a new ornament from 24K Rose; we also give a bottle of champagne with their picture on the bottle of champagne for those buying an engagement ring. Who doesn’t like a gift? — Kriss Roethlisberger, Ace of Diamonds, Mt. Pleasant, MI
• Everyone likes something free. We give them homemade peanut butter balls and a special “diamond topped” pen. They love it! — Jeffrey English, J.D. English Jewelers, Dallas, TX
• We have handmade chocolates we send and give out. Many customers have grown to expect them as they really are a treat. — Don Bullock, Bullock’s Jewelry, Roswell, NM
• At Christmas, we give away bags of maple syrup popcorn. — Ragnar Bertelsen, Ragnar Jewellers, Vancouver, BC
• We do in conjunction with special events. The last bag contained a drink box for a signature cocktail I am really proud of. It’s called the Steve Quick 35 in honor of our 35th year in business. We worked with a local mixologist whose bar was closed for 12 months during the pandemic to develop something really special. Then we had it bottled with custom labeling and gave it away! — Melissa Quick, Steve Quick Jeweler, Chicago, IL
• No-strings-attached gifts have power. — Bill Elliott, Ross Elliott Jewelers, Terre Haute, IN
• I mail my VIP special packages. Sometimes jewelry related (travel jewelry cases, cleaning solution, etc.), but it could be as simple as flowers, candies, even giant stuffed animals. I prefer to send something based on a conversation or funny experience I’ve had with the customer. — Jeremy Auslander, Roxbury Jewelry, Los Angeles, CA
• We send Thanksgiving baskets from a local farmer to our top 50 clients of the year. We include a handwritten thank you note and track their Christmas spending. On average, about 75 percent return for a Christmas gift. — Dianna Rae High, Dianna Rae Jewelry, Lafayette, LA

No: 48%

• Don’t be stupid; my customers are smart enough to recognize a free gift they paid for. — Craig Warburton, BJW Group, Ann Arbor, MI
• I am too stretched to contemplate adding another worry! — Eve J. Alfille, Eve J. Alfille Gallery & Studio, Evanston, IL
• Never considered or felt like there is a reason to do that. — Alex Weil, Martin’s Jewelry, Torrance, CA
• We have never discovered the right item to gift to the customer. — Donnie Blanton, Brittany’s Fine Jewelry, Gainesville, FL
• We have given gifts in the past, but while it was well-received, it wasn’t worth the cost and effort. — Vance Reusch, Reusch Jewelers, Petoskey, MI
• We have done this for many years with so-so results. It may be a silent reminder though to continue shopping with us. We do very little marketing besides review gathering and seem to be busier than we can handle. — Jana L. Smith, Wiggins Jewelers, Lebanon, TN
• Expensive. It needs to make an impact, not something to be thrown away when they get home. — Bill Archinal, Barnes Jewelry, Amarillo, TX
• Too busy. Maybe a freebie here or there. — Rick Nichols, Nassau Jewelry, Fernandina Beach, FL