Pricescope Consumer Etiquette

[tigian]

My DH and I will be visiting the east coast from CA and I was thinking about contacting a PS vendor to see if I could actually meet him in person and try on a couple of things. Here''s the catch: I know for a fact that I won''t be able to purchase any jewelry until next year. Would this be totally wasting the jewelers time? Should I mention the fact that I won''t be purchasing during this visit? Would you still contact the jeweler? I''m torn because I would love to see what some pieces look like IRL, but I also know he is running a business which is based on selling.
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 5/6/2010 10:52:36 AM
Author:tigian
My DH and I will be visiting the east coast from CA and I was thinking about contacting a PS vendor to see if I could actually meet him in person and try on a couple of things. Here''s the catch: I know for a fact that I won''t be able to purchase any jewelry until next year. Would this be totally wasting the jewelers time? Should I mention the fact that I won''t be purchasing during this visit? Would you still contact the jeweler? I''m torn because I would love to see what some pieces look like IRL, but I also know he is running a business which is based on selling.
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

Hi tigian

I don''t think you would be wasting the vendor''s time, after all, chances are good you will eventually buy from them. I would tell them the situation that you aren''t ready to buy yet but hope to in the future and would love to see what they have to offer, then maybe they can arrange to see you at a convenient time.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

I don''t think it would be a breach of etiquette to ask for a visit. I visited Diamonds by Lauren without making a new purchase at the time and David could not have made me feel more welcome (plus, it was a lot of fun). I got to try on pieces I couldn''t afford in a million years, too. Fun!

If I was selling something, I''d love to have a potential customer visit, especially if they were likely to return to the relevant forum and talk about the fabulous things they saw, so I wouldn''t think it was a breach of etiquette at all. Go for it -you can only ask, right?

Jen

 

[Circe]

You''re a really nice person to worry about this, but ... frankly, I wouldn''t. If the vendor has any sense, they''ll understand that a sale is a sale, now or a year from now, and that the good free press that they get from people enthusiastic enough to be on online jewelry boards is probably worth the half-hour or so of his or her time (assuming, of course, you''re not elbowing a customer in the middle of making a 10K purchase out of the way). Telling him that you''re not planning to buy that day but would like to get a sense of exactly what you''re saving up for would be courteous, of course ... but I don''t think you''re morally or ethically obligated to lay out your timeline.

 

[tigian]

Okay, with the input from some of the most experienced PSers: Lorelei, Mrs. Mitchell, and Circe, I feel more confident contacting the PS vendor for my upcoming trip. Thank you.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Let us know how it goes and tell us about the sparkly things you see.

 

[yssie]

You must be an incredibly generous, sensitive person to consider this

But no, I don't think you're wasting the vendor's time at all either. Vendors know that people purchase from vendors they feel they "know", and what better way to begin to establish a relationship? I think if you make an appointment they'll be happy to chat with you

Do tell us how it goes! With pictures, preferably

 

[swingirl]

Date: 5/6/2010 10:52:36 AM
Author:tigian
My DH and I will be visiting the east coast from CA and I was thinking about contacting a PS vendor to see if I could actually meet him in person and try on a couple of things. Here''s the catch: I know for a fact that I won''t be able to purchase any jewelry until next year. Would this be totally wasting the jewelers time? Should I mention the fact that I won''t be purchasing during this visit? Would you still contact the jeweler? I''m torn because I would love to see what some pieces look like IRL, but I also know he is running a business which is based on selling.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

Certainly pay the vendor a visit. Let them know you are a PS member from out of town and would like to visit them. Ask if you can bring your camera to take a few photos in case you see something interesting! Most shoppers are browsers anyway.