Editor's Note

When Writing the Big Survey, Our Team Questions Everything

And we throw out just as many questions as we keep.

Published

1 year ago

November 1, 2021

Trace Shelton Instore November 2021 Issue

YOU CAN’T LEARN if you don’t ask questions.

And after 15 years, we’ve asked a lot of questions in our annual Big Surveys … and learned even more. I hope that’s true for you as well.

What some may not realize is just how many questions we don’t ask. This year, we asked 95 questions, which makes this one of our biggest surveys ever. But we probably threw out just as many before our readers ever took the survey.

Narrowing the Big Survey down to a manageable number involves a lot of difficult decisions about what to cut and what to keep. (Not to mention that a 95-question survey barely qualifies to be described as “manageable.”) We want the survey to be incredibly informative so that you, our readers, can benchmark your own performance and plan for the future based on the results. We also want it to be entertaining, capturing the spirit of an industry made up mostly of independent retail store owners.

So, when crafting the survey, we debate internally. We ask our expert columnists for their opinions. And we look at your letters and comments from the past year to see what’s been on your mind the most.

For those who took the survey, I want to thank you profusely. These results wouldn’t mean anything without your participation. And for those who don’t like asking or answering questions … well, you’re probably not reading INSTORE! Enjoy and best wishes to everyone for a safe and happy holiday season!

When Writing the Big Survey, Our Team Questions Everything

Trace Shelton

Editor-in-Chief, INSTORE
[email protected]

Five Smart Tips You’ll Find in This Issue

Set up a selfie station in your store for the holidays. (Manager’s To-Do, p. 24)
Grow your own jeweler by hiring a young person as a polisher; send those who show aptitude and interest for more schooling. (Ask INSTORE, p. 64)
Ask suppliers to sponsor your team lunches during the holidays. (Megan Crabtree, p. 62)
Review sales-per-staff-member prior to the holidays; give your best salespeople more chances to shine. (David Brown, p. 63)
Promote financing by putting signs in your cases showing approximate monthly payments for a list of purchase prices. (Larry Johnson, p. 66)

Time to Do What You've Always Wanted? Time to Call Wilkerson.

It was time. Teri Allen and her brother, Nick Pavlich, Jr., had been at the helm of Dearborn Jewelers of Plymouth in Plymouth, Mich., for decades. Their father, Nick Pavlich, Sr., had founded the store in 1950, but after so many wonderful years helping families around Michigan celebrate their most important moments, it was time to get some “moments” of their own. Teri says Wilkerson was the logical choice to run their retirement sale. “They’re the only company that specializes in closing jewelry stores,” she says. During the sale, Teri says a highlight was seeing so many generations of customers who wanted to buy “that one last piece of jewelry from us.” Would she recommend Wilkerson? Absolutely. “There is no way that I would have been able to do this by myself.”