Guide to Take In Procedures
A lady was apartment hunting one day and she found the perfect apartment. It was ideal for her situation. So she signed the lease and went home to start packing.
While she was packing she did what many of us would do and started to visualize where she would put her possessions in that new apartment. She could envision her couch along one wall, and she could sit there and watch TV, if she placed the TV just so. The chair would look nice between those two windows, and on she went around the new apartment.
Then it dawned on her that she could not remember seeing a bathroom. Where in the world is the toilet, she thought. Surely there was not one large bathroom at the end of the hall that she would share with the other tenants.
The more she thought about this the more concerned she became. She decided to write the landlord a letter to find out where the toilet was located. However, as she wrote she became embarrassed. She could not write the word ‘toilet’ in a letter. What should she say? Then she thought of the older term Water Closet. That sounded better to her, but in her haste she abbreviated and only wrote the initials W C.
Well the landlord received the letter, and as you can imagine, did not understand what she wanted to know. What is the W C? What was she looking for? Then it dawned on him. She must be wanting to know where the Waverly Church is located so he wrote the following response. Now keep in mind that she wants to know where the toilet is located as she reads:
Dear Madam,
You will be pleased to know that the WC is located only three blocks away. It is a lovely stroll on a nice day.
You will find that most all of the tenants use the facilities there. Most go only once a week, and stay for an hour or two. However, some feel it necessary to go more often.
If you go on Sundays, I suggest you go early. Many arrive just in time, and have trouble getting to a seat. If you prefer to stay to yourself, I would suggest going on Wednesday evenings, as Sundays tend to become crowded. Why just last Sunday it was so crowded there were nearly 2 people on every seat.
I’m sure you will be pleased to know there is always musical accompaniment whenever you go there. Everyone who goes there finds it to be a true spiritual experience and leaves feeling refreshed, and revitalized.
If I can be of further assistance, Please let me know.
Your Landlord
Miscommunication such as this is a major contributor to problems in business as well. In fact, many of the problems in business today are the result of faulty communication and jewelry stores are not exempt.
Problems associated with poor communication happen in many areas of our stores but none are more evident than those associated with the take-in process.
Proper Take-in Procedures Help Everyone
Proper take-in procedures are important! A single, simple mistake during take-in can erase several months’ shop profits and dramatically affect the entire store’s profit for the year. It may also destroy your good name; a few dissatisfied customers can give you a reputation for mishandling jewelry.
Limits Liability
One day a lady brought a ring for sizing into a jewelry store. The salesperson described the stone on the job envelope as 1 ct. yellow diamond. When the customer returned, she asked for her canary diamond ring.
Testing showed the stone to be a yellow cubic zirconia. After going to court, this storeowner bought the customer a one-carat canary yellow diamond. At this point the cost of the diamond was minimal compared to the bad publicity and lost business, and all because a poorly trained salesperson wrote the wrong thing on the job envelope.
There are many stories similar to the one just told. Proper identification, descriptions, and documentation reduce your store’s potential liability. It will minimize litigation from your neglect or misrepresentation of their jewelry.
Taken Procedures continued