the 350 post newsletter vol. 2
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TRANSCRIPT
The 350 Post 1
TIFFANY & CO.
―...special quality that results
from the perfect meeting of
materials and design...‖
~ Frank Gehry
From the Desk of Giles Marsden
I would like to express a heart felt thank
you and congratulations to all of you for
helping us achieve great financial results in
August. We closed the month at
$3,242,000 which is $142,000 over
plan. Regardless of your role, each and
every one of you played a part in getting us
to these numbers…and for that I’m most
grateful. These numbers also mean that we
enter September with only an $88,000
shortfall for the year (we started August
with a $230,000 shortfall), which I know
we will make up this month. Go San Fran-
cisco! Now that it’s September, there are
only five months left to the ―Tiffany Year‖,
and yet there are so many things during
those five months that are going to have a
big impact. Let me share with you some of
the exciting things planned over the next
few months. Susan Gearey, too, would like
to add her congrats to all and says,
―Greetings from Ireland!;‖ as she lifted a
wee pint to you all! She says thanks and
will see you all very soon.
The Schlumberger traveling collection ar-
rives in our store in early October. It’s
been a few years since San
Francisco has hosted this
collection and we’re glad
it’s back! There are a vari-
ety of events planned, but I
would encourage each of
you to tell people you know about this
great collection of pieces from one of our
original master designers. Due to the
success of fine jewelry (everything sold in
the Queen Mary II case) we are putting
together a comprehensive collection of
pieces to wow our most jaded customer.
October is also the month when John Lor-
ing will be visiting the area for a variety of
speaking engagements. You will all have
the chance to meet with John during the
morning on October 25th when he’ll be in
the store for a breakfast.
Other happenings this fall include another
trunk show of Blue Book worthy creations
to be held Thanksgiving weekend. There
will be a first of its kind Patek Philippe
traveling collection in November, includ-
ing rare complicated timepieces from this
venerable watchmaker. Tiffany Register
Weekend in Pebble Beach is shaping up
and we are fortunate to have four San
Francisco client couples attending.
Finally, there are the holidays to look for-
ward to. There are plans in place to make
this the best holiday
ever, and I look forward
to sharing them with you
as December draws
closer.
July—October 2006 Volume 1, Issue 2
THE 350 POST
Inside The 350
An Eye On Our Competitors 6
Customer Service Q & A 4
Faces of TCO 3
Frank Gehry at DeYoung 2
Friendly Reminders 2
Game Spot 5
Nashville Opens Its Door 3
Security 2
Sketches of Frank Gehry 3
Summer Birthdays & Events 6
TCO with George O’Connor 4
Tiffany Upcoming Events 6
Welcome to Danielle T. 4
The 350 Post 2
Mail and telephone fraud typically include overnight shipment to a
third party address.
When transacting a telephone order the sales professional should:
call the issuing card’s authorization center on all orders over
$1,000
indicate that this is a telephone order
match the caller information
call the customer back to confirm (with the verified phone number)
write all pertinent information on the sales check
obtain a manager’s approval and initials on the sales check
If, for any reason, the sales professional becomes uncomfortable
with a mail or telephone order they should immediately contact a
member of management, security, or a ―Mr. Green‖ call should be
placed.
Review and adhere to the ―Customer Mail/Phone Order Credit Au-
thorization – U.S.‖ Policy.
Continued on pg. 3
Security—Things to remember Just A Friendly Reminder - Please remember to put things back where you found them.
- If it is a Take then call the Take line at x475
- Check mail slot, voice mail, and e-mail as often as you can to
better service your customers and needs of co-workers.
- When closing the POS please put waybills in numeric order.
- To 2nd floor Sales Professionals: All Merchandise Transfer
Requests must be signed by management before submitting
to merchandising.
- [C.O.M. Hand Engraving orders] Be sure to inform your cli-
ents that this process takes 4 weeks.
- When ringing up the order on POS, it will ask for the number
of days, so type in 30 days. That way, the receipt will print out
the correct estimated completion date for the order.
- If your client needs the order sooner than 4 weeks, you
MUST email or call Monica Malrechauffe (Hand Engraving
Representative) to notify her of your customer’s rush
needs immediately. Continued on pg.4
Fr ank Gehr y at t he deYoung Museum
A n exclusive evening by Tiffany & Co. was held at the newest architectural landmark in
the Hamon Tower Observation floor of the deYoung Museum featuring the notorious
Frank Gehry collection in San Francisco. Some of you might already be familiar with his
collection, however, the guests were introduced to a dynamic and cutting edge collection which
included inspirational themes: Axis, Equus, Fish, Orchid, Torque, and Fold. The collection brings
out some familiar metals known to Gehry; others bring out a fresh and new experience to work
with: exotic stones, rare woods, high-tech rubber, and luxurious silk.
Ninety-four guests attended the evening of Thursday, the thirteenth of July as well as some of
TCO’s employees. With guests arriving at seven fashionably dressed showing off some of their
Tiffany jewelry as well as their own; the event offered cocktails and Hors d’oeuvres with original
names such as the Orchid martini served in a mini martini glass with a fresh Orchid as the gar-
nish and the Gehry Nigiri sushi. Everyone there seemed to have been enjoying themselves as they listened to the cool tunes of
the DJ playing, as well as appreciating, admiring, and taking in the panoramic views of the Bay from the 7th floor. Guests did
not hesitate in walking up to the Gehry collection and trying on one of the most unique and organically shaped pieces of jewelry.
Some of the pictures you see here were taken throughout the night by the ever so talented photographer Caroline Kopp who was tak-
ing pictures of everyone and everything around her. Overall the event was well put together and everyone that attended got to leave
with a Tiffany bag that contained a Frank Gehry memento.
The 350 Post 3
Security Continued from pg. 2
You may access on the intranet by going to the
Internal Audit site, then clicking on Policy & Proce-
dure (upper right), then Domestic and then tab 18.
Frank Gehry Movie premier at TCO
After a long hard days work what a treat it was
to watch ―Sketches of Frank Gehry‖, have
great seats, kick back, and relax. What good is
watching a movie without some pop corn,
pizza, drinks, candy and be around some good
company?
The movie was simply about one of the most
reputable and iconic architects who had asked
his close friend, Sydney Pollack, to direct a
documentary on the work and life of Frank Gehry. It revolves around his
actual sketches of buildings, one in particular that he focuses on; Bilabo.
We see him at play with the creation of his collection with Tiffany & Co. as
well as models that get torn apart and rebuilt. He introduces us to his
innovative team who show us how his vision comes to life using 3-D soft-
ware. In addition, he lets us in on how he got to become an architect and
how he went against those expectations from certain people that would
cause him to question his talent.
New Faces at TCO and Those That S aid Good -bye
T hey’ve worked with us, shared many smiles, even
ruffled up some feathers and have gone elsewhere to
try something new in their lives. Christina Statescu
was the first to leave; having graduated from FIDM she
decided to pursue a small business from her own
home. Second, Julie Thompson decided to work as a
receptionist in a modern furniture store. Following
closely after was Chris Dingman whose partner got a
wonderful promotion and whose career led them to
move to San Diego. Two weeks later Courtney Canning
decided to move back home to Boston to finish getting
her Bachelors in Business Management and maybe
working at Banana Republic. A month later Catherine
Thompson announced that she was going off to an-
other retailer just around the corner to Wilkes Bash-
ford. We wish them all the best and know that there
are great things ahead to come for each of them.
Yet now we say hello and welcome to those that have
just joined us recently and those whom have already
been here for a while. Our first addition to the TCO
family was Maricel a graduate from USF with a degree
in Psychology who has hope of expanding her knowl-
edge and growth within the company. Christine
Duggan graduated from UC Davis in 2005 with a
Bachelors in Human Development and Psychology.
She recently moved to the city with friends from high
school and college and hopes to make lasting profes-
sional relationships as well as creating a foundation
for her career in business. Before joining TCO, Keri
Wolthausen was in Public Relations in Santa Barbara
and is determined to move up the corporate ladder.
Sabrina Chamaki worked for a couple of retail jeweler
stores, Zales Jewelers and after Bailey Banks and
Biddle. She looks to work herself up the ladder into
the downstairs Fine Jewelry and Engagement depart-
ment. Carol Young has been in the silver business for
twenty-five years, created a division for Reader’s Di-
gest [Jewelry Is Fun] and organized a trunk show for a
fundraising cause that was based in Fairfield, Iowa.
Carol wants to build her own clientele, sales, and have
a long term stay and someday retire at TCO. We wel-
come and look forward to getting to know Benjamin
Blum, Christina Morales, Andrea Torrez, and Monica
Morales.
Nashvi l le is Off icial ly on the Tiffany Map
Amy Miller who was promoted Director of the new store in Nashville,
opened its doors to the public on Tuesday, August first and already it is a
huge success. Having made plan the weekend of the fifth she had in
$228,000; on the first of August she already had in $61,000 by one
o’clock and still there is more to come. She also announced her manage-
ment team which includes Sales Manager– Mark Steiner, Operations
Manager– Jennifer Vermillion, and Assistant Store Manager—Brooke
McClenny. As always, San Francisco continues to wish her much contin-
ued success.
*Note from our Star in Nashville*
I sent her a note wishing her the best on her first day and Amy Miller’s
reply was: ―Thanks so much for thinking of me… it was such a treat
to hear from you! I am settling into my new store and we had an amazing day of Founding Ceremony and Breakfast at Tiffany’s festivities. Almost 600 people attended and we were on the news, radio, in the paper, etc. It was too much! I miss you all and SF a ton and need to come back for a visit. I will be sure to come in if I make it there any time soon. Hello to all and send everyone my best. I am so thankful that you are all wishing me good things.”
Jan Praggastis
“Okay babe...”
For my breakfast to remember, my compliments and gratitude
go to our very own party planners, also known as Rachel and
Amy.. The custom cupcakes combined with the colorful party
decorations created a very festive morning. Thank you all for
sharing your time and effort with me during my 25
years with Tiffany. I was amazed that the breakfast
included all my favorite things, and yet was such
a total surprise. I could not have planned a better
celebration myself. #339 • Jan
The 350 Post 4
W e’ve just ended another fun &
relaxing summer season and now that
Halloween candy can now be found at
the See’s Candy Shop, we know that the
Fall Season is here!
This fall, think big, think chunky, think Art
Deco. This is the big trend
to be aware of! Black is
back in fashion, so fine
jewelry is more important
than ever for both women
and men. As always, Tif-
fany diamonds look great
against black clothing.
Tiffany has a new star in our Fine Jewelry
assortment. Be sure and take a look at
the new Tiffany Stars Collection that just
arrived! Diamond stars in their prong
and bead set styles are carefully scaled
to be stylish and fun!
Our highly successful Tiffany Swing Col-
lection continues to evolve this fall with
the introduction of the 4-Diamond Drop
Pendant, Flower Drop Pendant and the
Double Drop Necklace. All these pieces
have arrived and are lots of fun! Be on
the lookout for more new pieces featur-
ing colored stones as we approach the
peak holiday selling season.
This fall, be sure and ―think link.‖ Link
bracelets and necklaces in both sterling
silver and yellow gold are absolutely au
courant, adding a little rugged elegance to
sportswear and retro-
80’s looks such as
black leather, long
sweaters and mini-
skirts with leggings.
We have so many
options to offer, in-
cluding our Tiffany Classics and selections
from our 1837 Collection.
Bold cuffs may be the hottest ―in‖ piece
this season. The Frank Gehry Torque Ban-
gles in sterling silver and agate, along with
our Atlas Open Numeric Cuff and Bone Cuff
from Elsa Peretti will all be ―hot‖ sellers!
This month, be on the lookout for the
arrival of the Frank Gehry Collection in
Tabletop. We will be offering a unique
and special assortment of decorative
items which will surely be the rage of our
modernist customers.
There’s lots of excitement to share with
our customers this fall so enjoy the sea-
son and look forward to lots of great
sales!
Q: What is rhodium plating and how does it affect servicing?
A: Rhodium is a hard, silvery-white metallic element that is plated onto other
metals to produce a durable, corrosion-resistant coating, or to create the uni-
form color. White gold is often plated for the purpose of consistent color. Items
that are rhodium plated need to be re-plated after any servicing, including
polishing.
Q: What is the difference between fire scale and patina?
A: Fire scale, or fire stain, is a purple-ish stain that develops in silver when
oxygen penetrates its outer surface during brazing, soldering or annealing, thus
oxidizing its copper content. Fire scale can be reduced with a special chemi-
cal.
Patina is formed from the multitude of tiny, almost imperceptible scratches that
appear on silver after frequent use. These tiny scratches eventually merge to
form a soft, radiant finish. Patina is highly desirable. When handling a COM
merchandise with heavy patina, take care not to machine polish off the pat-
ina. Merchandise with a nice patina finish should only be hand-polished by the
Silver Repair and Polishing Center in the TSC.
Q: What is vermeil? What is silver plate?
A: Vermeil is silver covered with a layer of gold. It is also known as gilded sil-
ver, or electro gilding, 100 millionth of an inch thick and can be removed by pol-
ishing. Silver plate is a layer of fine silver that is bonded to a base metal, 100
millionth of an inch thick, and can also be removed by polishing. Vermeil and
silver plated merchandise typically need to be re-plated after servicing.
TCO with George by George O’Connor
Customer Service Q & A
Welcome to Danielle Tompkins
I moved to SF in 1981 right out of col-
lege on my own with whatever would fit
in my VW Rabbit. I return 25 years
later, again on my own, with whatever
would fit in a United Van Lines truck. I
have come full circle with a lot of
changes in my life, but the constant
has always been my connection with
Tiffany and with this store.
I am happy to be back in the Bay Area.
A few things have changed since I left
SF in 1998. The store has a whole
new look after the remodel. I love the
tabletop department looking out on the
patio. After being in smaller stores for
the past 6 years it is so exciting to see
all the different merchandise this staff
is fortunate enough to sell. I'm looking
forward to getting to know the people
that are new to me and to reacquaint-
ing myself with old friends.
Reminders Continued from pg. 2
- [C.O.M. Machine Engraving orders] Please inform your clients that this process takes 7
days (or 5 business days).
- If it is a Rush order, please speak to your manager for approval. The minimum charge
for rush servicing is $25.00 or 50% of the charge, which ever is greater plus the engrav-
ing charge for orders that are less than 7 days.
- Remember to get e-mail from customer when writing up a repair order form.
The 350 Post 5
How good is your vision? Forward or backwards?
Concert Walt Museum Experience
Design Vitra Hall Music
Disney Project Guggenheim
W Q C Z L C S H D R W I D O R
C N O W A L T E M Q Z T O F A
O L N Z S R S P Q Y A F U Z G
Y M C M F I R Q R M E C J A M
A Z E D G K H Y I O I N J K I
R T R N H Y G E S S J U S U A
T T T U S O H H U I S E C I E
I N G L P N G M A I L Z C Z D
V M M U E S U M E L M M G T O
T W Z G Z U Z Y I H L A L F V
G L G E X P E R I E N C E H P
F U G D G W R C D I B L O T B
G A N E S E N B Y O W S C W W
H D T M S B T M B K V F E L P
F L X S W X L O E P W I A Z I
Whoa! Gehry
Help Paloma’s
Sugar Stack ring
find its way back
to stack with the
others.
Karen Flaherty, Director Human Resources-Retail West
As we all know, staffing our stores for the holiday season is
one of the most exciting and critical tasks to having a suc-
cessful holiday season. Historically, our greatest success for
seasonal hires has been from our Employee Referral Pro-
gram.
In an effort to maximize employee referrals, Human Re-
sources has launched an exciting Employee Referral Bonus
Contest. This contest is an addition to our already existing
Employee Referral Program which can be found on the HR
website under Staffing.
The contest will run from September 25 - November 4, 2006.
All U.S. employees (except management) who make a referral
are eligible to have their name submitted in a weekly drawing
to win a $300 Amex Gift Card. For specifics please see the
posters which are on your Employee Announcement Board.
Human Resources Corporate will draw a name from the em-
ployee referrals and announce one weekly winner in the
weekly COP communication.
And to keep things really exciting, all U.S. employees (except
management) who make a referral will have their names
entered into a drawing to win one $500 Amex Gift Card for
any seasonal referral made to any U.S. Retail location, the NY
Flagship or the Parsippany/East Hanover locations and two
$1,000 Amex Gift Cards for seasonal referrals made to any
U.S. retail location and the Parsippany/East Hanover NJ Lo-
cation. Winners will be announced at the conclusion of the
contest in the November 8 COP communication.
Employees must submit their referral’s name and informa-
tion via tiffanycareers.com or forward their referrals’ informa-
tion to Michelle deVillers, HR Staffing Coordinator here in the
San Francisco store. Please take this opportunity to be a
Tiffany Recruitment Ambassador for the holiday season and
perhaps go home with an Amex Gift Card and your name on
the COP Posting!
The 350 Post 6
Summer Birthdays & A n n i v e r s a r i e s
Tiffany Upcoming Events Blue Book Traveling Collection Oct. 2 & 3
UCSF Concierge Luncheon (private home) Oct. 3
TR Outreach/Diamonds Cocktail (private home) Oct. 14
One night with community partners another with TR appointments
John Loring Diamonds Cocktail Oct. 24
Staff Breakfast with John Loring (in store) Oct. 25
John Loring will attend the Antiques Show Preview Party with a select group of
TR clients
John Loring Flora & Fauna Cocktail (Filoli) Oct. 26
The Bridge School Benefit (Regency Ballroom) Oct. 27
Pebble Beach National TR Weekend Nov. 10 & 11
July
Paul Labagh July 1
Danielle Lopez July 7
Veronica Tolentino July 9
Matthew Homyak July 13
Christine Duggan July 20
Heidi Gerber July 22
George O’Connor July 24
Erin Lavin July 24
Philip Chen 10 years
Susan Gearey 18 years
August
David Kingsley August 2
Makiko Tomita August 3
Michael Barcun August 10
Paul Labough August 18
William Gatley August 18
Charles Osako August 22
Hank Stenner 1 year
Makiko Tomita 1 year
Frank Reyes 3 years
Mary Shaler 5 years
Rachel Levin 8 years
Terry Watson 8 years
Veronica Tolentino 13 years
Einori Tsruta 13 years
September
Miyako Nakamura Sept. 8
Christian Crandal Sept. 9
Masako Keller Sept. 11
Cesar Nisthal Sept. 18
Hank Stenner Sept. 26
Johannan Gookins Sept. 29
Victoria LoGrasso 1 year
An Eye On Our Compet i tor s
by Maricel Loyola
A s more competitors enter the fine jewelry market, estab-
lished brands such as Cartier and Montblanc are targeting
younger crowds. According to an article in the New York Times,
Glamour, the magazine, has obtained a $1.8 million sponsorship
from fine jeweler, Cartier. In exchange, Cartier will receive ten
pages of advertising space in the magazine. This marketing
strategy will widen Cartier’s reader base to include a younger
and more mainstream reader.
As for Montblanc, a brand that is better known for its pens and accessories, will
attach its name to up and coming designers such as Jeffrey Costello, Jean Yu, Robert
Tagliapietra, and Doo-Ri Chung. According to Women’s Wear Daily, ―Chung is clearly one
of the bright young lights of American fashion.‖ The names of these designers are meant
to attract more women to the Montblanc name. The company is introducing a new line
of jewelry and plans to promote Montblanc as a luxury lifestyle brand. The upcoming
advertisements will debut in the September issue of Vogue.