What I’ve Learned: Jay Klos

Published

8 years ago

April 16, 2016

If you are not changing, you are losing ground!

— Jay Klos, Grogan’s, Florence, AL

Retail is in a constant state of change and to keep up you have to stay fresh. We first learned this when our customers began to come in asking if we carried the hottest new trends they saw at other stores and in magazines. Our team began traveling to trade shows and connecting with vendors and jewelers to bring us up to speed. Before that, we had just stuck to what we knew always worked. Now we are always researching our customers’ shopping behaviors, finding new ways of reaching out to them via social media, adopting new inventory-tracking methods, updating the store’s physical aesthetics (lighting, displays and décor), looking at new tools for the showroom and shop … the list is endless. Just when you think you’re on top of it, something new comes along and you have to learn a whole new process. We have learned not to fear change because we see it as an opportunity to embrace.

This article originally appeared in the May 2016 edition of INSTORE.

You Wouldn’t Cut Your Own Hair. Why Run Your Own Retirement Sale?

After being in business for over a quarter of a century, Wayne Reid, owner of Wayne Jewelers in Wayne, Pennsylvania, decided it was time for a little “me time.” He says, “I’ve reached a point in my life where it’s time to slow down, enjoy a lot of things outside of the jewelry industry. It just seemed to be the right time.” He chose Wilkerson to handle his retirement sale because of their reputation and results. With financial goals exceeded, Reid says he made the right choice selecting Wilkerson to handle the sale. “They made every effort to push our jewelry to the forefront of the showcases,” he says, lauding Wilkerson for their finesse and expertise. Would he recommend them to other jewelers who want to make room for new merchandise, expand their business or like him, decide to call it a day? Absolutely he says, equating trying to do this kind of sale with cutting your own hair. “The results are going to happen but not as well as if you have a professional like Wilkerson do the job for you.”