True Tales

These Two Store Owners Bit Off More Than They Could Chew

Two tales of free food gone wrong.

Published

2 years ago

September 20, 2021

INSTORE Staff

We used to have an open house in early December. We would put out a couple of trays of crab balls, shrimp and lots of snacks. I told a customer to stop in and have a snack and look around. He brought his entire family in and devoured an entire plate of crab balls and shrimp and then left. I mean … really. Thank God he doesn’t come in anymore. — Tommy Thobe, The Village Gem, Perry Hall, MD
A new staff member decided to stand outside handing out pizza, water and snacks to anyone who wanted a treat. Problem was that she gave away the pizza that I bought for my entire staff. — Earl Grenfell, Spellbound Fine Jewelry, Port Washington, NY

Time for More “Me Time”? Time to Call Wilkerson

Rick White, owner of White’s & Co. Jewelry in Rogers, Ark., knew it was time to retire. Since the age of 18, jewelry had been his life. Now it was time to get that “me time” every retailer dreams about. So, he chose Wilkerson to manage his going-out-of-business sale. White says he’d done plenty of sales on his own, but this was different. “Wilkerson has been a very, very good experience. I’ve had the best salespeople in the history of jewelry,” he says. “I recommend Wilkerson because they are really the icon of the jewelry business and going-out-of-business sales. They’ve been doing it for decades. I just think they’re the best.”