1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:11,360 Welcome to the Gilt Trips podcast. I'm your host, Kendra Lockhart. As a goldsmith and 2 00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:17,560 gemologist, I'll be speaking 24 carat on all things jewelry, metals, and gems. Join 3 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:24,080 me plus a few friends to demystify both materials and designs as your private jeweler. Let's 4 00:00:24,080 --> 00:00:36,080 tune in on these topics and get golden. Welcome to this episode on theft. I'm still recording 5 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:42,120 in New York City, so don't be surprised to hear some of the sounds of Manhattan. There's 6 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:47,960 no perfect time to record. I've stayed up until 2am, wishing and hoping that was so. 7 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:55,560 It is magical thinking, although noble, as a declaration to say, I'm not going to get 8 00:00:55,560 --> 00:01:00,840 robbed. Nobody's going to take from me. It's kind of similar to when I said, I'll never 9 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:07,920 get in a car accident, I'm going to be the best driver ever. It's a great game to play, 10 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:15,040 but I guarantee you won't bet a thousand. And here's the good news. You'll learn more 11 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:23,760 from when it happens than all the time you've spent rehearsing and being vigilant and imagining 12 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:31,640 how it won't. I'm going to divide today's episode into three situations. But the first 13 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:38,480 one I want to start off with before we even get to when things go wrong is the charades 14 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:45,680 we go through in order to prevent that and attempt to generate when things can only 15 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:53,200 go right. What I mean by this is when you go through the training, the simulation, the 16 00:01:53,200 --> 00:02:01,360 role plays, the mock interactions with your coworkers or your staff on loss prevention. 17 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:08,560 You know, the scenario where a gentleman comes in with a large coat over his shoulder or 18 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:15,760 his arm and lays it down on the countertop while looking at very expensive pieces. It 19 00:02:15,760 --> 00:02:21,880 may be common sense for some. It certainly is trainable in people who are not as familiar 20 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:28,560 with that situation. You don't place big bulky items where there's an opportunity to 21 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:36,360 take tiny little precious treasures. The other rule is having too many items out at one time. 22 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:44,320 You simply don't do that as enthusiastic as new salespeople or even an owner of a business 23 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:50,480 can get when somebody comes in flashing the cash and wants to see all the best of the 24 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:58,120 best at the same time. While the usual go to is I'm sorry, our insurance policy says 25 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:05,920 we can only show one or two items at a time that really takes the power out of the conversation 26 00:03:05,920 --> 00:03:15,960 and places it into this invisible third party. And yet it's still part of today's trainings. 27 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:21,240 And of course, the last is when somebody comes in looking at an item that matches the one 28 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:26,360 that they're wearing. Most people don't see this as a red flag, but if you're already 29 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:38,240 wearing that Rolex, why are you looking at that Rolex? So it takes a blend of exposure, 30 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:47,320 conversation, training and experience to start recognizing the obvious and the nuanced opportunities 31 00:03:47,320 --> 00:04:01,640 where someone can take what you've got. The first time that I was quote unquote robbed, 32 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:08,560 it was extremely subtle. I'll get into it more in later episodes that with my first 33 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:17,560 job as the jewelry designer, I was young. I was in great shape. I was no strings detached. 34 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:28,420 So I was asked to be a courier or a runner of items from the shop to our vendors or contractors. 35 00:04:28,420 --> 00:04:37,520 Here I am up in a nice neighborhood in Chicago. And here I go on a bus or possibly on foot, 36 00:04:37,520 --> 00:04:43,840 maybe in a cab if time is of the essence, even on the train to get down to the business 37 00:04:43,840 --> 00:04:51,040 district and do all of the errands that are required, pick up these diamonds, drop off 38 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:57,400 this ring for engraving, make sure that you receive the pearls that we just had restrung, 39 00:04:57,400 --> 00:05:02,980 and don't forget the castings for that custom order. Things of this nature. You do your 40 00:05:02,980 --> 00:05:10,440 best to be as discreet as possible. The error that I made, and fortunately it wasn't on 41 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:17,640 company time. I was running errands for side projects that I was doing on my own time, 42 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:23,720 which eventually would become my company. Of course I dressed very nonchalantly, but 43 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:31,620 my error was I had an enormous over the shoulder bag that kind of looked like a beach tote. 44 00:05:31,620 --> 00:05:36,600 And while everything was in the bottom of it, when I got onto that elevator to go up 45 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:44,880 the 10 floors to the majority of the people I needed to do the project with, somebody 46 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:51,400 had reached into the bag, snatched the tiny coin envelopes that contained my work, and 47 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:57,000 I couldn't feel a thing. And because the elevator was semi-crowded, if somebody were 48 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:04,760 to accidentally bump me, it was understandable. So it's things like this to take into consideration 49 00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:12,240 that are an opportunity for somebody looking to gain at your loss. What did I learn from 50 00:06:12,240 --> 00:06:20,000 that? Obviously get a smaller bag that has full closure over it. Secondly, manage the 51 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:27,440 value of what you're carrying. Only have jobs with you that are critical to that trip. And 52 00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:35,640 last, assume somebody is always watching you, and if you are situationally aware, paying 53 00:06:35,640 --> 00:06:46,880 attention and ready to respond. 54 00:06:46,880 --> 00:06:53,880 The next circumstance that I was in, where I was stolen from, was with private clients. 55 00:06:53,880 --> 00:06:59,320 They were definitely biting off more than they could chew for their upcoming wedding. 56 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:05,920 And she wanted the sun, moon, and stars. And he couldn't possibly work any more jobs to 57 00:07:05,920 --> 00:07:12,400 attempt to make that happen. Whether it was put it on the credit card, borrow from the 58 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:20,480 family, we'll make money at the wedding, let's ask for all of our gifts in the form of cash. 59 00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:30,040 It was quite a conversation to witness. So when it came time for them to design their 60 00:07:30,040 --> 00:07:36,560 ring with me, I wasn't surprised that it was going to be a simple solitaire with all of 61 00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:42,880 the money going into the center stone. We looked at several diamonds, settled on a 2.5 62 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:50,160 carat oval. She cried because it wasn't a 3. Granted, this was her second marriage, 63 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:56,120 and she was 10 years older than he was. So of course she wanted this one to be the right 64 00:07:56,120 --> 00:08:03,440 one, the bigger one, the better one, as far as trips down the aisle. However, the materialism 65 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:09,120 was starting to get a little uncomfortable even for a private jeweler like me. When they 66 00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:15,360 couldn't come up with the money to secure the diamond, I created an arrangement with 67 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:23,000 the diamond house that we would pay it off in 90 days, a third of the total every month. 68 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:29,280 As we neared the wedding, I was ready to deliver what I call a dummy ring, which was the exact 69 00:08:29,280 --> 00:08:35,360 same solitaire with a cubic zirconia in the center. This wouldn't do for her, and she 70 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:41,280 hadn't become quite the bridezilla by this point. They asked to see the final ring and 71 00:08:41,280 --> 00:08:46,440 just try it on so that she could walk down the aisle with at least the experience of 72 00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:53,160 wearing her real diamond even if it wasn't paid off. I agreed. 73 00:08:53,160 --> 00:09:00,120 A week later, I get a call from the future husband who says she has to wear this down 74 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:07,160 the aisle. Is there any way that we can borrow it just for the night? And I said not when 75 00:09:07,160 --> 00:09:14,440 it's unpaid. It's too much of a liability for both of us. Okay, well, I'll put the balance 76 00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:22,800 on the company card. And then the next day, we'll return the diamond ring to you. And 77 00:09:22,800 --> 00:09:29,760 then reverse the charge on the company card. The total will just go on the business charge 78 00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:37,840 for 24 hours. I said, All right, I can work with that. And so that happened. It was paid 79 00:09:37,840 --> 00:09:44,760 in full. The card did go through. I did deliver the ring. I even attended the wedding. The 80 00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:50,720 next day I called and said, Let's make arrangements so that you can have the dummy ring back. 81 00:09:50,720 --> 00:09:57,320 And I can put the diamond in the safe again. No response. Called again later that day. 82 00:09:57,320 --> 00:10:04,320 Nothing. Let it roll over to the next day. The wedding was Friday night. Now it's Sunday. 83 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:09,740 Third attempt. I checked my bank account. This was before you got notifications on every 84 00:10:09,740 --> 00:10:16,560 single transaction. The charge had been canceled for about $6,000. That's money that I owe 85 00:10:16,560 --> 00:10:24,000 the diamond house that wasn't profit to me. I worked very tight on this project so that 86 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:30,600 we could make it happen. And hopefully it would lead to future referrals or repeat business. 87 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:36,360 Not everyone is in hard times forever. Through the grapevine, I found out they had left for 88 00:10:36,360 --> 00:10:45,040 their honeymoon. In a state of panic, I contacted Ivy at ancient echoes, the woman who was carrying 89 00:10:45,040 --> 00:10:50,240 my work and where I was a house designer. No, I had not met these clients through that 90 00:10:50,240 --> 00:10:55,960 business. So she had no skin in my game. Fortunately, she said that's just over the amount where 91 00:10:55,960 --> 00:11:03,680 this is a felony and you should report it to the police. I did just so. A warrant was 92 00:11:03,680 --> 00:11:09,480 created. And by the time they came back from their glorious trip to Barbados, they were 93 00:11:09,480 --> 00:11:15,860 served and a court date was set. They did have to pony up for a lawyer. I decided to go 94 00:11:15,860 --> 00:11:23,000 pro se because as fate would have it, I had worked for an attorney while I was an undergrad. 95 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:29,800 Their lawyer wanted to negotiate with me when I told him exactly what went down and that 96 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:36,120 I had witnesses to this fake transaction. He met with his clients for 15 minutes. They 97 00:11:36,120 --> 00:11:42,760 agreed to return the ring with full payment and the attorney ended up becoming my lawyer. 98 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:50,280 I'm very fortunate that integrity did the talking for me. And while he had the money 99 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:57,020 from the people he was representing, he knew it was a bad deal and that perhaps I'm his 100 00:11:57,020 --> 00:12:09,880 perfect client and that is exactly what happened down the road. Of all the years that I've 101 00:12:09,880 --> 00:12:17,320 been working in showrooms for jewelry, I've usually seen something happen near me or to 102 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:27,000 a colleague or to a coworker, even my boss at the time. For example, there was a diamond 103 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:34,060 that I was showing in a private viewing room to a gentleman who seemed very anxious, restless, 104 00:12:34,060 --> 00:12:42,500 nervous and unable to focus. He even kept peacocking. He would open up his checkbook 105 00:12:42,500 --> 00:12:48,760 and say, if I like it and you make it the right price, I'll write you some money today. 106 00:12:48,760 --> 00:12:54,580 And he'd flip his checkbook open and closed and open and closed. All of these behaviors 107 00:12:54,580 --> 00:13:01,940 added up to, I should pay attention not to what he's doing, but what this is about. At 108 00:13:01,940 --> 00:13:09,160 one point he said, yeah, I don't want to do this today. I'll be back on the weekend. I 109 00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:15,320 wasn't working that weekend and this client showed up, talked to the owner, asked to see 110 00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:21,100 the same stone, said, can you put it in the grips so I can see it in the light like that 111 00:13:21,100 --> 00:13:27,980 girl did. He had a CZ in identical grips. And when the phone rang and the boss turned 112 00:13:27,980 --> 00:13:32,620 his head ever so slightly to see if somebody was going to pick that up, the grips were 113 00:13:32,620 --> 00:13:37,620 switched. By the time I come back after the weekend, I'm notified that the diamond was 114 00:13:37,620 --> 00:13:43,540 stolen and they've narrowed it down to this one client. What the owner was not expecting 115 00:13:43,540 --> 00:13:52,980 is for me to say, Oh, you mean, and I said first and last name and his address. In a 116 00:13:52,980 --> 00:13:59,020 state of shock, I was asked, how do you know all of that? And I said, because he kept flipping 117 00:13:59,020 --> 00:14:05,820 his checkbook open again and again and again. And at some point I saw it enough times, I 118 00:14:05,820 --> 00:14:13,340 just decided to learn it. We went to court and I testified against him with my employer 119 00:14:13,340 --> 00:14:21,940 and we won. So at the same location, the same job with the same boss, it was the day that 120 00:14:21,940 --> 00:14:27,460 OJ Simpson was declared not guilty. There was a lot of activity on the street, not too 121 00:14:27,460 --> 00:14:34,220 long after that. There were a lot of cars revving up and down. There were a lot of horns. 122 00:14:34,220 --> 00:14:42,340 There was a lot of commotion yelling. It got busy. We didn't have a strong phone tree back 123 00:14:42,340 --> 00:14:50,580 in the late 90s. And so we hadn't heard that the bank up the block had gotten hit. It was 124 00:14:50,580 --> 00:14:57,380 330 in the afternoon because we had had significant business that day. And I remember thinking, 125 00:14:57,380 --> 00:15:02,780 Oh, I've worked through my lunch. Oh, we're so close to closing. Why don't I just skip 126 00:15:02,780 --> 00:15:13,620 it? An inner voice or intuition or for all I know, my guardian angel said, go outside, 127 00:15:13,620 --> 00:15:20,940 take your 30 minute break, grab a bite. So I did. And it was hard to get up the street. 128 00:15:20,940 --> 00:15:27,180 The sidewalks were pretty crowded. And by the time I came back in 20 minutes, the showroom 129 00:15:27,180 --> 00:15:34,780 had been hit for a third of a million dollars. What happened? Four gentlemen came to the 130 00:15:34,780 --> 00:15:41,660 door and asked to be buzzed in. We were a staff of three minus one because I was on 131 00:15:41,660 --> 00:15:49,940 lunch. They came in, held the place up, scared the bookkeeper in the back to the point where 132 00:15:49,940 --> 00:15:57,460 she forgot the drill of if anybody comes in to steal the diamonds, you give them the fake 133 00:15:57,460 --> 00:16:05,260 box out of the safe, not the real box that is stashed overhead and out of sight. And 134 00:16:05,260 --> 00:16:12,820 this is why all those laws prevention pretend interactions with your coworkers don't really 135 00:16:12,820 --> 00:16:23,220 cut it when it's real. So I walk back in, I immediately get frisked and fingerprinted. 136 00:16:23,220 --> 00:16:29,420 The cases are smashed. Jewelry is gone. And the diamond box has been taken. What could 137 00:16:29,420 --> 00:16:39,820 have been done differently? First of all, it's four very well dressed men in broad daylight. 138 00:16:39,820 --> 00:16:47,100 When these people be at work, and when is the last time you saw a pack of bros in suits 139 00:16:47,100 --> 00:17:02,580 all decide to come to a jewelry store together? That's not exactly a group guy activity. 140 00:17:02,580 --> 00:17:12,140 So while these experiences were less than desirable and unsavory to say the least, the instant 141 00:17:12,140 --> 00:17:20,500 training and wisdom you get from being on the losing end of these situations sets you 142 00:17:20,500 --> 00:17:29,580 up for the next decade of your career, regardless of the role you're in, whether you're a courier 143 00:17:29,580 --> 00:17:37,060 or a designer or a salesperson or the president of your own business. While I hope this doesn't 144 00:17:37,060 --> 00:17:47,940 happen to you, if it does, may the loss be minimal and may the gain serve you, your staff, 145 00:17:47,940 --> 00:17:58,020 your protege and your colleagues when it's time to tell a story. 146 00:17:58,020 --> 00:18:01,860 Thank you for listening and learning with me. I would love you to share this project 147 00:18:01,860 --> 00:18:06,300 with people finding rare beauty in today's world and throughout our times. Until the 148 00:18:06,300 --> 00:18:30,380 next episode, keep your own stories sparkling.