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I got offered a job at Tiffany's today

princesss

Ideal_Rock
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Mar 18, 2007
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So I went shopping with a friend today, and I (of course) had to get some quality jewelry oogling time in. I took my friend to my favourite estate jeweler in the mall and we had fun playing with their selection. They've got some OECs, and some great antique pieces that I just love. So I was explaining to my friend the difference between an OEC and a RB, and why you generally see FY in radiants, but why a FY EC is more rare (I got to try one on today! SO pretty!). Generally just having a good time, you know? And she said she really likes cushions and I asked her what kind of cushions she likes - chunky facet vs crushed ice (silly question - all she knew was she likes the cushion outline the best). So when we were leaving, I pulled her into Tiffany's to show her the Legacy and tell her about how that's different from other cushions.

Well, we had the singularly most unhelpful sales woman I've encountered in there. She made a huge fuss about pulling the Legacy out of the case, and said we had to go sit in a side room to see it (not sure why - I've looked at that same ring while standing at the counter). So we go into the side room and wait, and she comes in and hands it to us. We look at it, and I'm explaining that it's a step cut cushion and that it's a Tiffany's proprietary cut, and I make some comment about how I love the center stone, but I actually really dislike the setting, and it's such a shame, because I'd love to be able to own a Legacy, just not in that setting.

That's where the trouble really started.

She told me a Legacy was just a cushion, and I could just get any cushion and it'd be the same. "No," I said, "It's a proprietary cut that you can only find at Tiffany's."

"No, it's just a cushion. We sell cushion solitaires, you could just get one of those."

"No, the Legacy is a step-cut cushion that Tiffany's developed. You can't find them anywhere else, and you don't sell them in any other setting."

" :rolleyes: Okay."

So she takes the ring back, and says, "Look, I'll show you a cushion."

"Okay."

At this point I want to see it just so I can point out the differences to my friend, who is absorbing the information she's hearing (unlike the sales woman who is out to prove to me how wrong I am). So we walk over to the counter with her, and she pulls a ring from the case and hands it to me.

"See, here's a cushion."

"No, this is an Asscher."

" :rolleyes: Okay."

So, sensing a teachable moment, I show my friend the Asscher (and even correct myself on the terminology, since Asscher is a brand name), point out the windmills (which, I have to say, don't impress me at all after seeing pictures of the Octavia :love: ), explain to her about why Asschers always look smaller than other stones of the same carat weight, hand the ring back, and we leave.

But the longer we're away from the store, the more the woman's attitude bothered me. Not only was she completely ignorant about the product she was selling, she was incredibly rude and dismissive of me when we disagreed (though I'm sure she thought she was taking the high road by not arguing). So about half an hour later, I get so fed up with the whole situation that I decide to go talk to the manager. I find the manager and explain the situation to her. I told her that part of my frustration was the misinformation (you should have seen her eyes when I told her a Tiffany's employee told me that a Legacy was just a cushion), and that part of it was how dismissive she was. I think it was right around the point when I told her about the sales woman giving me an Asscher and calling it a cushion that she asked if I was in the industry.

"No, I'm just an enthusiast."

"Do you want a job? I have a position coming up and I'd love to have you work for us."

"No, thanks."

"Do you have a job?"

"Yeah, I work in shipping."

"Have you ever thought about working for Tiffany's? You should seriously consider it. We'd love to have you."

So we finished out conversation, she thanked me for letting her know about the situation, and my friend and I left. My friend kind of laughed when we were leaving, telling me that only I could walk in to a jewelry store with a complaint and walk out with a job offer, but I'm pretty certain any PSer could do the same.
 

Tacori E-ring

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Do they have a part time position?!? :naughty: That is awesome S! Seriously a compliment.
 

princesss

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LOL @ the part time position! I definitely took it as a compliment. But you know me - I'd much rather play with OECs all day. :love:
 

Tacori E-ring

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If Perry's offered you the job...would it have been different? :cheeky:
 

Hudson_Hawk

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Wow, what a fantastic story/experience! I too think you'd be fabulous in the role. I mean, everyone knows that Princesss can sell the collar off a priest!
 

vc10um

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Hudson_Hawk|1295225615|2824579 said:
Wow, what a fantastic story/experience! I too think you'd be fabulous in the role. I mean, everyone knows that Princesss can sell the collar off a priest!


Now THAT'S some skill!!!

Congrats on the job offer. But you totally forgot to ask about an employee discount!!! :naughty:
 

princesss

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Tacori E-ring|1295225448|2824574 said:
If Perry's offered you the job...would it have been different? :cheeky:

HAHAHAHAHA!I I honestly almost said, "Now, if Perry's had offered, I might have had to think about it."
 

Rockdiamond

Ideal_Rock
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Cool story Princess!

Clearly, they'd be lucky to have you!!
 

katamari

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Did you get any dirt about the employee discount?! :naughty: :tongue:

No wonder they wanted you, after hearing about what they had!! (<<and that is intended as a compliment for you and a putdown on their employee, not a back-handed compliment!).
 

AdiS

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princesss|1295224592|2824554 said:
"See, here's a cushion."

"No, this is an Asscher."

" :rolleyes: Okay."

:lol: Oh my...

Seriously, you should've at least agreed to provide their employees with a basic training or something. :bigsmile:
 

Dancing Fire

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congrats Princesss... :appl: :appl: can you give PSers a 50% discount??
 

JewelFreak

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I'm really surprised to hear that. Tiff's is usually very careful to hire people for the gems who have a good background in them. "You have to be able to tell a rubellite from a ruby" is the sort of thing they tell applicants. She must have been a temp hired for the holidays & maybe they kept her on a few weeks while others took vacation -- Christmas season is so crazed, everybody's always exhausted.

Reading your story I was hanging in there, hoping you hadn't said yes. Tiffany has the very WORST working environment I have ever encountered, and it isn't just me. Someone called me once -- we had a mutual acquaintance who gave her my number -- to ask about working there. I said it is a totally miserable experience & truly not worth what it does to your soul. "You are the 3rd person to tell me that," she said.

Perry's....that's another story! Woohoo, that might be fun! I haunt that place every time I go to South Park.

--- Laurie
 

princesss

Ideal_Rock
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Thanks for the compliments, everybody! I'm blushing over here.

Laurie, Perry's definitely would have been tempting! I love their inventory, and their sales staff is so wonderful and well-informed, and truly seem to enjoy talking with educated consumers. Once they sales woman found out that I love warmer OECs, she was almost gleefully pulling rings and bracelets out of the case for me to try on and show my friend. I absolutely adore everyone that works there, and make a point of stopping in every time I'm in that mall.
 

diamondseeker2006

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Great story! When we were shopping for my daughter's wedding band, I was also asked if I worked for a jeweler! Honestly, it is amazing how uneducated these sales people really are.

S, I was thinking the same thing about the part-time job! There are a few items I'd like to have from that store! :naughty:
 

zoebartlett

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Great story, P!

I miss Perry's!
 

vintagelover229

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princess: You wouldn't happen to be at the Tiffanys at the Yorkdale mall near Toronto would you? LOL because I had a sales woman tell me the SAME thing you just did when I looked at some rings that they pulled out. Same thing calling the asscher a cushion...i was like...ummm no. And she had the SAME attitude as the sales lady you had. The worst part is I was with my BF, so in theory we could have been shopping for a ring....so if I had been the sales woman, even IF I KNEW that it wasn't right, I wouldn't be arguing with a potential customer just because I wouldn't want to lose the sale. I wanted to shake her! Needless to say, I won't be going into that Tiffanys again.

I didn't talk to the manager like you did, but it's great they offered you a job and that you did talk to them about it. I don't think most people know the difference so they can just tell them "not quite correct" information and they don't even know the difference. Until they get someone who knows their stuff, and then they argue until they are blue in the face. :nono:
 

jewelerman

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thanks for sharing a fun story!If i were the manager i would have done the same thing!Unless you have been in the trade you don't know how rare it is to come across someone who cares about these details and how hard and time consuming it is to train someone in jewelry product knowledge! This reminds me of a situation when i was training a young man with NO sales or jewelry experience(he lasted only a few months)he kept on telling clients that oxygen was the element responsible for making diamonds yellow and thus a lower grade on the color scale! :shock: No matter how many times i talked to him he could not get the information correct in a presentation. i would hire you in a heart beat!
 

chemgirl

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vintagelover229|1295282385|2824949 said:
princess: You wouldn't happen to be at the Tiffanys at the Yorkdale mall near Toronto would you? LOL because I had a sales woman tell me the SAME thing you just did when I looked at some rings that they pulled out. Same thing calling the asscher a cushion...i was like...ummm no. And she had the SAME attitude as the sales lady you had. The worst part is I was with my BF, so in theory we could have been shopping for a ring....so if I had been the sales woman, even IF I KNEW that it wasn't right, I wouldn't be arguing with a potential customer just because I wouldn't want to lose the sale. I wanted to shake her! Needless to say, I won't be going into that Tiffanys again.

I didn't talk to the manager like you did, but it's great they offered you a job and that you did talk to them about it. I don't think most people know the difference so they can just tell them "not quite correct" information and they don't even know the difference. Until they get someone who knows their stuff, and then they argue until they are blue in the face. :nono:

Woah, there's a Tiffany's in the Yorkdale Mall? I haven't been in there in ages, but it used to be rather void of jewelery stores.

Princess, good job educating that sales lady. Hopefully her manager will set her straight and it won't happen again. I know more about pearls than diamonds (although I love diamonds!) and have had issues with Tiffany sales associates spreading missinformation about origin and processing. I remember I made a comment about some colour matching issues in an item I was considering purchasing and I got reemed about Tiffany quality control...fun.
 
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