(Our November print issue includes a feature story detailing “10 Steps to Last-Minute Holiday Success.” Today we bring you an excerpt explaining one of those steps: moving out old inventory.)
Laurelle Giesbrecht of French’s Jewellery in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada, clears out old merchandise by early November. It’s her only deep-discount sale of the year. She puts aside classics and basics she knows will sell for the holidays and deeply discounts everything else. “We’re closed the day before and the night after. We work through the night so when we open up the morning after, our store is Christmas-fied.”
Andrea Hill says the fourth quarter is a great time to create sales inventory highlights.
“Picture this: You take two or three items that have been sitting there forever, and you dramatically mark them down. Feature them in a tower near the door, so nobody can miss it. Make it clear that when these deals are gone, they’re gone — but also, that there will be some new surprise in that same spot tomorrow, or the next day. The goal is two-fold:
“Move old inventory, and catch the attention of the browser who would otherwise walk in and walk out without purchasing anything.”
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Family Legacy, New Chapter: How Wilkerson Turns 89 Years of History Into Future Success
After 89 years of serving the Albany community, Harold Finkle Your Jeweler faced a pivotal decision. For third-generation owner Justin Finkle, the demanding hours of running a small business were taking precious time away from his young family. "After 23 years, I decided this was the time for me," Finkle explains. But closing a business with nearly nine decades of inventory and customer relationships isn't something easily managed alone.
Wilkerson's comprehensive approach transformed this challenging transition into a remarkable success story. Their strategic planning handled everything from advertising and social media to inventory management and staffing — elements that would overwhelm most jewelers attempting to navigate a closing sale independently.
The results speak volumes. "Wilkerson gave us three different tiers of potential goals," Finkle notes. "We've reached that third tier, that highest goal already, and we still have two weeks left of the sale." The partnership didn't just meet financial objectives—it exceeded them ahead of schedule.
