True Tales: Jeweler, Lifesaver

BY INSTORE TEAM

Published in the January 2014 issue

A customer told me I saved his life. He had been in a year earlier and didn’t return. I figured he bought elsewhere. I ran a radio ad that said we sell more than engagement rings, we sell pressure valves. If you are getting pressure from your partner, friends, or family, just get the engagement ring. Deal with the marriage side of the equation later when the heat is off or when you know you can afford the wedding. Back to the customer, it turns out that a week after visiting the store, they found out that she was pregnant! Her old man wouldn’t even look at him and her mother just burst into tears. Now, a year later, they had a cute bundle of joy but still no ring and they were having a big family reunion. The guy was ready to platz. Then he heard my commercial. According to him it was an epiphany. He thought, “I can do the engagement ring. We’ll worry about the wedding later.” So he bought the ring and went to the reunion. As expected, nobody would even talk to him. In the middle of the festivities he asked for everyone’s attention, got down on his knee, and proposed in front of the whole darned family. She said yes, her old man was slapping him on the back and calling him son, and her mother just about had to have CPR. So, there you have it, we don’t just sell engagement rings, we sell pressure valves and we have about 1,200 models to choose from. — Chuck Kuba, Iowa Diamond, Des Moines, IA