Selling to Customers Who Care Jewelry Best-Sellers at Hospital Shops

By Sara Karnish

Hospital shops carry an array of merchandise to give shoppers—whether patients, hospital staff, or members of the community—a little pick me up. Most hospital gift shops are still perceived as a quick stop to purchase candy, cards, and flowers for a recuperating friend or relative, but they are so much more. In fact, many hospital shops are the retailer of choice in the communities they serve, carrying clothing, accessories, gifts, cards, and another customer favorite—jewelry.

Jewelry is the best-selling overall item at the Coastal Carolina and Hilton Head Hospital shops, according to Gift Shop Manager Dotty Gottdenker . The gift shop is staffed by volunteers and managed by the hospital system’s auxiliary. “We sell a lot of costume jewelry—a lot of sets; necklaces and earrings. And a lot of earrings which are lead-free. I do all the buying, and I’ll buy what I like, what I would wear, but I’ll also buy a lot of what I wouldn’t wear. I try to take everyone’s tastes into consideration—we get people with all different-sized pocketbooks, and with all different tastes.” Shoppers can find a large selection of jewelry from different lines at The Gift Shop at Danbury Hospital in Danbury, Conn. “I buy from so many sources,” said Gift Shop Manager Cynthia Higgins . “We’re close to New York City, and there are some vendors I use out of Manhattan. People are more interested in jewelry that can go with multiple looks. [Shoppers] buy a variety of lengths—I think younger people like the longer pendants, although you always want to make sure you have shorter lengths.” She added, “I buy a lot of plain gold and silver—pieces that can really go with anything. We accessorize all of our mannequins, complete with jewelry. That’s important because people can see how the necklaces look.”

The Gift Shop at MHP Medical Center in Shelbyville,

Ind., carries several well-known jewelry lines within its cozy 574 square feet to appeal to shoppers’ diverse tastes. “Because we are a variety gift shop, we don’t limit [ourselves] to just one company,” said Linda Bacon , gift shop buyer. “Katie Loxton sells well. That is a repeat vendor for us; a big reason why that line is popular is the price point for sure, and it’s good quality from a good company. We sell a lot of Rain, which is another company. We also sell a lot of badge reels because of our employees.” Other popular lines include Groove Life, Continued on page 122