How to Prevent Shoplifting at Your Jewelry Booth
copyright by Rena Klingenberg
If you sell your handcrafted jewelry at shows, fairs, or festivals, it may be a target for thieves. You should know how prevent shoplifters from stealing your jewelry right out of your booth.
I don’t mean to imply that shoplifting is rampant at every show, or that you can’t trust your customers. But it’s an unfortunate fact that jewelry is an increasingly frequent target for theft. It’s attractive, relatively small, easy to slip away with, and has a high perceived value.
After an onyx and opalite bracelet was shoplifted from my booth, I decided to learn how I could prevent my jewelry from “evaporating” at shows.
I discovered that you can greatly reduce your risk of becoming a victim of shoplifting in your jewelry booth – simply by being aware of how jewelry thieves operate, and learning a few simple prevention measures.
Tactics of Experienced Jewelry Shoplifters
Awareness of how thieves operate can help you keep your jewelry safe. Here are common shoplifting ploys used by thieves at art and craft shows:
1) Some thieves work in pairs. One thief poses as an interested customer, distracting you by pretending they want to purchase jewelry, while the other thief unobtrusively slips some jewelry into a pocket, tote bag, shopping bag, or purse.
2) A shoplifter working alone pretends to browse your displays, and the moment you’re distracted, he or she easily brushes jewelry that’s displayed near the table-edge right into an open bag, purse, or baggy pocket that’s just below the table level.
3) A thief sets a personal item (such as a purse, shopping bag, or jacket) on your jewelry table while pretending to shop. When the thief picks up her personal item, she neatly lifts some of your jewelry along with it.
4) Experienced jewelry thieves know the most vulnerable times for an artist at a show, and wait for an opportune moment to take advantage of your situation during these critical times: Read more…
Should You Put Price Tags on Your Jewelry?
copyright by Rena Klingenberg
Do you sell more jewelry by placing a visible price tag on each piece, or by leaving the price a mystery until the customer inquires about it?
Some jewelry artists prefer to leave prices off their jewelry, so customers will have to ask about pieces that interest them – thereby giving the jeweler the opening to establish a relationship with the customer and sell the piece. Read more…
Sell Your Art or Crafts at Juried Shows to Increase Your Profits
copyright by Rena Klingenberg
If you sell your art or crafts at shows, fairs, and festivals, you can increase your profits by focusing on selling at juried shows. Although juried shows are harder to be accepted into, and the booth fees and other expenses tend to be higher, they are often much more profitable for artists than the shows that are less expensive and easier to get into.
Some juried shows have strict requirements about how your booth is set up and what you can sell – which, although this can feel limiting, can also help “keep the riff-raff out” and maintain a high quality show.
The appeal of being in juried shows is that they are generally run well, with a good mix of higher caliber vendors, and they tend to attract a larger crowd – often bigger-spending shoppers who like to purchase quality handcrafted items. (Our favorite kind of customers!) Read more…
