True Tales: The Jewelry Test Drive

Published

17 years ago

July 2, 2008

The customer opened the jewelry box and found nothing inside. Except for a short, but thrilling, note.A woman came in looking for an anniversary gift. She liked some opal pieces and asked to look more closely at a pendant and opal earrings. She left, saying she would try to get her husband to come in and look at them. My wife, Georgiann, figured that she was having trouble getting her husband to come in, so she suggested the customer take the earrings out for a ?test drive?. “See if he notices,” she said. The customer was pleased and went out of the store wearing them. Just two hours later, the husband came in asking if someone knew which of the pieces — the pendant or earrings — his wife preferred. Georgiann laughed and told him the story of the “test drive”. He laughed and asked what he should do, since he couldn’t give her what she was wearing … and he couldn’t afford both. Georgiann told him: “I’ll wrap a box and we’ll let her think you picked up something else. But just so it’s not empty, I’ll include a note.” He loved the idea, paid for the earrings and went out of the store smiling broadly. I asked my wife what was on the note. She said she had written “Test drive over. They’re yours.”

CHARLES B., EUGENE, OR

Ready to Relocate? Wilkerson Makes Your Move Seamless

When Brockhaus Jewelry decided to leave their longtime West Main Street storefront for a standalone building elsewhere in Norman, Oklahoma, owners John Brockhaus and Brad Shipman faced a familiar challenge: how to efficiently reduce inventory before the big move. Their solution? Partnering with liquidation specialists Wilkerson for a second time. "We'd already experienced Wilkerson's professionalism during a previous sale," Shipman recalls. "But their approach to our relocation event truly impressed us. They strategically prioritized our existing pieces while tactfully introducing complementary merchandise as inventory levels decreased." The carefully orchestrated sale didn't just meet targets—it shattered them. Asked if they'd endorse Wilkerson to industry colleagues planning similar transitions—whether relocating, retiring, or refreshing their space—both partners were emphatic in their approval. "The entire process was remarkably straightforward," Shipman notes. "Wilkerson delivered a well-structured program, paired us with a knowledgeable advisor, and managed every detail flawlessly from concept to completion."