Opening/Closing and Locked Doors

Statistically 80% of all jewelry store robberies occur at opening or closing. Because of this, our insurance policy requires having the showroom doors locked while jewelry is being taken out of the safes and put into the display cases in the morning, and being taken from display cases to put in the safes at the end of the day.

While we are opening

In the morning during the displaying of merchandise, only employees can be let in or out until all jewelry is in the display cases. To let in anyone else violates our insurance coverage. This includes friends, relatives and any unknown delivery people; they must be told to come back at 11:00 AM when we open. Known delivery and repair people can be let into the buy office door by an authorized employee. Unknown people are never let in and should be asked to come back after we open.

Once the jewelry cases are set up and locked, we can let in customers and delivery people, even if it’s before 11:00am. The insurance doesn’t start at 11:00am, it starts as soon as the jewelry cases are set up. That used to be around 10:00am, and now it’s around 11:00am. We never want to open to customers later than 11:00am, but we can let them in earlier if the cases are set up and locked.

While we are closing

At night, NO ONE, NOT EVEN EMPLOYEES, can be let in or out of the showroom doors while jewelry is being put away and showroom doors must be locked the whole time until EVERYTHING is put into the safes AND THE SAFES ARE LOCKED.

Visiting vendors and employees may leave through the buy office door or through the garage door downstairs while we are closing the showroom.

Any customers must be removed from the showroom before we start to break down. Customers can be escorted out the front door and into the buy office side to finish their business while we are closing in the showroom.

Visitors must be continually monitored

ANY person, whether a vendor of merchandise, customer, or company representative who is doing work or making a delivery, must be supervised if they come into the back office. It is NEVER ok to let them in and let them work, walk around, or wait unsupervised and then leave by themselves. If you are not available to shadow them, then ask them to wait outside in the hallway while you ask HR, Shipping, or anyone else who is not with a customer to shadow them.

How we move customers to the buy side after closing:

Salespeople, assistants, or other employees are not to go up to any sale in progress to suggest that the salesperson take their customer next door. We want to avoid making the customer uncomfortable. We pay a lot of money to get customers to come in and shop with us, and once they are here, we want to capitalize on their presence in the store rather than giving them the bum’s rush so that we can go home.

At 6:00pm when the receptionist leaves, he or she will notify the COO if there is a customer still in the showroom (or CFO if COO is absent). The receptionist will tell the COO what the status of the sales is; i.e., new name, just doing paperwork, nowhere near being finished, just chatting. If it’s a new name, the salesperson is given time to establish rapport with the customer so they’re not put off by being taken next door right away. If they’re just finishing up paperwork, the COO will let them finish.

At the appropriate time, the COO will approach the salesperson and the customer and say something like this: “You are welcome to stay as long as you like, but due to insurance regulations, we would like to take you to our offices next door while we close the showroom.” The salesperson will tell them that she will bring any merchandise they are interested in so that they can continue to shop next door.

The salesperson will NEVER take the merchandise outside through the front door. The salesperson may walk the customer to the buy side through the front door and either have someone else carry the merchandise through the back of the store to the buy side, or come back to get it after getting the customers situated.

There is no time limit for moving a customer next door, and if the COO believes that it’s best to let the customer stay in the showroom, then we will stay open for as long as is necessary. HR may decide to send some employees home to minimize the overtime expense. Other employees may have to stay late to help close. Inform HR if you have any problems with staying late and she will try to accommodate you.

If we are staying late with a customer in the showroom, those who are working in the showroom must not fidget, grumble, make faces, or in any way show any impatience with the situation. Keep calm and keep working. Those who are not in the showroom will continue to work at their desks as usual until we are given the signal to stop working and help to close.

No strangers come into the buy side while we are closing

We cannot let anyone other than customers who are in the midst of a sale, customers who have PREARRANGED to pick up repairs, or employees and known vendors, into the buy side while we are closing the showroom. No delivery personnel or strangers can be admitted into the buy side until EVERYTHING is put into the safes AND THE SAFES ARE LOCKED.

If we do not comply with these requirements and are robbed, our insurance company will not have to pay us one penny! We could lose everything. We would be out of business, and you and many friends would be out of a job! We cannot be slack on this policy.