As a first time Tiffany's customer, I had high hopes. I had just watched Breakfast at Tiffany's and then read the book, and all I can say is Holly Golightly would not be impressed with the Tiffany's experience of today. Like most businesses, quality has decreased dramatically since the good old days. Let me explain my experience.
I made the decision to purchase a custom engraved sterling silver necklace. I had considered the gold version, which was more expensive, but I figured it was better to start small to see if I like the brand and the buying experience. And I had done my research in advance and I knew that Tiffany's charges a huge premium over fair market value for all of their jewelry - which I was fine with because I wanted the recipient of my gift to have the "Tiffany's experience." Let me tell you that experience was a major disappointment.
Before I go on, I have to give credit to Tiffany's for some positive aspects of the buying experience. The necklace itself looks nice and they did a custom engraving, which is personal and that went a long way. It was an extra $120, which I was fine with, because I wanted the Tiffany's experience. So altogether I spent about $500 for this small first-time purchase.
In advance I saw on the Tiffany's website they make a big deal about how all Tiffany's purchases of jewelry come in a Tiffany Blue box. I knew that when you buy Tiffany's, you are paying a premium just for that box. So needless to say it had better be a nice box.
Well, when I got my necklace, at first they tried to give it to me without the box. I had to specifically ask for a box and I said it was important that it comes in a box because it is a gift. The whole point of the box is so that the recipient gets excited to open it. So they put it in a box, at my specific request, and into a blue bag. I didn't even check what was inside the bag. I grabbed it and headed out. When I got home, I was going to put the whole thing, bag and all, into a bigger box and wrap it. Thank gif I checked inside the bag. And inside the bag was a cardboard box. I mean like this is the absolute cheapest looking cardboard box you can imagine. It probably cost less than 3 cents to make, including the ribbon. "Oh no," I panicked. "I can't give this as a gift. It looks TERRIBLE!" I can't emphasize how cheap the box looks.
At fist I went to the Tiffany's website thinking maybe I could buy a nicer box. The good boxes are over $1,000, more than twice the cost of the necklace itself! Then, an idea came to me - eBay! So I found a Tiffany's box on eBay for $20 and bought that. Even if it is a counterfeit it's better than the box the actual company uses! That is ridiculous! This is supposed to be a LUXURY brand! These cheap boxes are harming your brand equity! They probably have some penny-pinching executives trying to save money who decided it would be a good idea to sell their jewelry in cheap cardboard boxes but the reality is, trying to save money ends up costing you more money and harms your brand equity. This is NOT acceptable, Tiffany's! You are a luxury jewelry company that charges a huge premium because of your brand equity! These cheap boxes are destroying that equity and diminishing your long-term value and earning potential. You can save 50 cents today but in doing so you end up missing out on thousands and thousands of dollars worth of missed sales in the future.
I'm very disappointed with the Tiffany's buying experience. Perhaps if you buy their diamond studs they come in better boxes. I'll never know. I'm buying future jewelry from a better brand going forward.
And I'm taking Holly Golightly with me. read more