Page 31 - Just Deserts

Excessories

Successful salesclerks in the higher-class shops on Rodeo Drive in
Beverly Hills had the ability to size up unfamiliar customers the
instant the latter came through the door. Clothing, jewelry,
demeanor—all were clues to a client’s tastes and budget. Some
sophisticated shoplifters did slip through this net of expectations, but
insurable losses were part of doing business, and the clerks (or
consultants or advisers or representatives, as they preferred to call
themselves) had also learned that striking the right note at the outset
with a prospective purchaser could be crucial in establishing the
rapport necessary to closing a sale.
So it was, late one November morning, that a rather
unprepossessing middle-aged woman in a simple black dress entered
the gilded portals of Excessories and received an effusive welcome
from the first employee she encountered.
“Good morning,” cooed the salesgirl, with a slight bowing
movement, a vestigial curtsy. “My name is Melanie. If there is
anything I can show you today, it would be my pleasure. We have
several new pieces of outstanding quality.”
The woman beamed back at her and advanced farther into the
showroom, clutching her Vuiton handbag as she tottered elegantly on
a pair of Ferragamo pumps. “Well, yes, as a matter of fact I am
looking for something special. You do carry one-of-a-kind jewelry
and ornaments, don’t you?”
“Yes, we do,” replied Melanie, guiding her charge into the safe
harbor of a softly-lit bay of polished brass and glass showcases.
“Excessories has exclusive arrangements with several of the finest
craftsmen in Europe. Is it for yourself or a gift?”
“Oh, I just need the finishing touch to an outfit I plan to wear at a
small dinner party next week. I do have some ideas, but perhaps it
would help if I could see a few things first.”
Sensing the proximity of a commission on a big-ticket item,
Melanie extracted one costly trinket after another: bracelets of
wrought gold and silver, earrings and pendants studded with semi-
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