Dream and Hustle

How We Can Redesign the Jewelry Store Model for the Hood

Of all of the retailing models I’ve studied, the jewelry store layout and setup is the absolute worst I’ve seen. The current setup of jewelry is reckless, unsafe and even worse, not even efficient to maximize sales. This article is the hood recommendation of the jewelry store model and how brothas and sistas can build a better jewelry that can operate even in the hood.

First of all, when you see video after video for decades after decades of cats coming in “browsing” then pulling out guns or a hammer and start smashing the glass, you got to wonder does anybody in the jewelry got a freaking clue they may need to improve their security or make a radical change?

Okay, let’s discussed what we are seeing here that is the typical video you see of jewelry store robberies. First of all, f*ck the glass cabinet display these cats smash and grab – that got to go and that should have been the first thing any cat in the jewelry business should have figured out by now. I have a serious problem with the glass cabinets because quite frankly, I find them ineffective.

This goes back to the glass cabinet but real talk, I don’t understand this “just browsing” environment these jewelry stores setup. Why are cats just letting anybody just browse in the first place? If you selling stuff that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars sitting in glass display cabinets, you are letting strangers just walk in and just “browse” in your jewelry store? What the f*ck!!!!!!!

Back in the hood on the West Side of Chicago when I was coming up, I saw the best design for a jewelry store that made the most sense. They had that thick bulletproof fiberglass display wall with grid shelving that displayed all of the jewelry like a museum exhibit that people can walk by and see. The jewelry was displayed at a height from the hip to the top of a person head to keep them looking forward instead of looking down.

I didn’t realize it but this setup allows all the browsers to just browse without interacting with any staff. It is actually more efficient because you have all of the people and curiosity seekers all looking at the display and ain’t nobody going to act a fool with all those people around. Now, when someone is real about buying there is a way to handle that.

Jewelry stores should focus on “clienteling” and here is the Forrester definition of the term.

Clienteling. Using data about an individual customer’s buying habits and preferences during interactions in the store, typically applied in high-end or luxury retail stores.

By focusing on customers who are truly qualified to do a deal and put your effort in that kind of customer, you will not only have a safer sales transaction but a qualified customer that will likely do future business because you treating them like an exclusive client. Real talk and I shake my head in amazement how a jewelry store just let cats “browse around” hoping one of them with turn into a customer .

Second is better security and I’m shocked a cat can get Rolex watches on display for sale but cannot invest in $5,000 security technology that can even do metal detection and face recognition cameras. It’s like cats love having hooded cats running in and sticking guns in their face and smash up their window display. The best security is having nothing for these cats to steal. If there is a piece that cost over $500, get costume replicas and if they want to see the real thing, take it offline and I’m not joking.

In fact, the real jewelers would do this and when you ready to buy, you are going to a hi-rise corporate skyscraper and meet with the jeweler there to inspect and buy on the spot. With that said, I seriously think this is probably the most realistic viable model for a hood-based jewelry store. Create a replica/costume display in several hoods and just have cats browse and use their mobile phone or web to setup an appointment. This is similar to the micro-mall model in case this sounds familiar.

Now when they ready to buy, that is when you setup the “meet” and it can be at any of these corporate offices and skyscrapers. That way, even the cat that delivering the jewelry don’t have to worry because they can drive different rental cars and stuff and be anonymous.

Look, f*ck accommodating these broke ass browsing cats who will have a problem with this setup I proposed because the real cats who got real money to blow on jewelry would love to operate discreetly like this anyway and they do anyway at the biggest jewelry markets in the world. It is too many videos on YouTube of cats coming in with guns and shotguns and smashing and grabbing and shooting and other violent crap to keep doing the same jewelry store setup and expect a different outcome.