Jewelry hard-sale on your ship?

[MercedMike]

I can vouch for that. I'm in a chorus that has an art auction each year for a fundraiser and the alcohol flows freely.

 

Question re the art auction: is it usually held in an area where it's easy to escape ? I wouldn't want to have to make a scene to leave in the middle. It would be on a HAL ship (next week !!!!!).

 

LOL of course it depends on the ship. On the HAL ships we have been on I have seen the auction held in the Crow's Nest and also in the cocktail lounges ... in either case easy enough to slide out of! It really is a hoot and as entertaining as any of the ship's shows! ;);)

[Sally Forth]

LOL, yes, how could I ever forget the VIP cards? She also kept mentioning that if 2 people walked into the store and 1 has a VIP card and other doesn't, the one with VIP card will get the better deal. She must have mentioned it 2-3 times. And the fact that you can upgrade your diamond ring to a bigger stone (what ever happened to sentimental value?)

 

I shopped in Juneau at a little shop off the main street. It had a sign that said they were family owned and open all year and didn't pay the cruise line to recommend them. We bargained a bit, were happy with what we paid, and glad to put money into the local economy.

 

Viv

[ajhunt2]

I did go to the shopping talks on the Spirit last week. But mainly because I found it interesting. I had never heard of tanzanite, but it was also neat to get some info on places that were good to eat at and some of the best souviners for each port. Katheryn answered any questions shopping or food related and was a great help.

 

Hubby did by my a Tanzanite loose stone that I will get set latter. But this was a UK blue stone as we are both alumni, and it's for anniversary/christmas. So no big deal. I also bought myself a Oh!mega necklace with the Northern Lights Topas on it. But because I liked it and whenever I wear it it will remind me of our trip and the great time we had. Not because I wanted to go shopping for jewelry

[lilacbirman]

I don't think they are owned by the cruise lines (they could never get along long enough to cooperate on this) but I think the cruise lines profit heavily by being paid to talk about the stores.

 

I'm sure that the presenter (who does the sales pitch onboard) gets a nice percentage when a customer goes into one of the stores and mentions the ships name or gives the "VIP" card to the salesperson.

 

I actually won a pair of binoculars on the Sapphire, actually, I was given a certificate for a store in Juneau to pick it up OR I could use it as 40% (I think) off anything over $100. When I went to pick up the binoculars, I actually was given a MONOcular. When I told the guy that the certificate stated BINOculars, he said it was a "printing error" and "it IS free". Amazon sells it for $12.

[MercedMike]

 

Hubby did by my a Tanzanite loose stone that I will get set latter. But this was a UK blue stone as we are both alumni, and it's for anniversary/christmas. ... But because I liked it and whenever I wear it it will remind me of our trip and the great time we had. Not because I wanted to go shopping for jewelry

 

Good attitude.

 

As a gemologist I know that one of the marks of good Tanzanite is its pronounced dichroism. This means that in different lighting conditions it will have a distinct color change. A tanzanite that is UK blue under the lights in the store may well appear a nice purple in different lighting. This is one of the beauties of the stone. Enjoy your stone.

[HiMagicFan]

I went to the talk when we went to Alaska on Princess in 2009.

 

I was one of those people who paid $25 for the book and then went to all the stores to get all the "freebies". We didn't pay for the jewelry or posters we got with the coupons. The stores weren't too happy about us just going in to get the free stuff and leave. But I had a lot of good stuff to share with friends and co-workers when I got back home (christmas gifts).

 

Am actually thinking of doing it again when we go in August next year. Ha Ha.:D

[Coral]

I'm sure that the presenter (who does the sales pitch onboard) gets a nice percentage when a customer goes into one of the stores and mentions the ships name or gives the "VIP" card to the salesperson.

 

I actually won a pair of binoculars on the Sapphire, actually, I was given a certificate for a store in Juneau to pick it up OR I could use it as 40% (I think) off anything over $100. When I went to pick up the binoculars, I actually was given a MONOcular. When I told the guy that the certificate stated BINOculars, he said it was a "printing error" and "it IS free". Amazon sells it for $12.

 

Pretty pathetic! I think the stores probably pay the salary of the position onboard (indirectly).

[MercedMike]

Pretty pathetic! I think the stores probably pay the salary of the position onboard (indirectly).

 

It is well known that the "recommended" stores pay a hefty price for that "recommendation." Are we surprised? Everybody from my Alumni Association to AARP does the same thing.

 

The surprising thing is that soooo many people adore the "shopping consultants" and can be seen wandering the streets of any port city with their "recommended" shopping map in their hand instead of visiting the glaciers or totem poles! Those folks rarely post on this board, but they are there, they are there!

 

Leave the "port talks" to them, or consider them prime entertainment!