instead of spending all your time writing these silly articles..why dont you spend some time programming some spread sheets so that your staff can give final quotes without having to know exact costs.

necktie--Unfortunately custom work isn't so easy. Gold prices have been increasing rapidly. Burn off is different for different items. For example using a a bunch of 14k chains to make something else--in chains there is more burn off than there is in rings. Melee prices have increased. Loose diamonds are priced differently dependent on vendor, etc. Design work prices differ depending how intricate the work. Waxes and molds aren't prices the same either--silicon molds.etc, etc.

well those are many individual problems you have just mentioned .....i have found that during my career each and every one of these situations has been dealt with differently depending .....which may in itself indicate that everyone runs there business as they see fit....but personaly I havent witnessed employers allowing staff full access to costs...nor do I believe it is a good idea to do so.......it is your business and not anyone elses....and therfore you are best to protect your interests by finding ways to allow staff to quote without giving them key information.......you may be inconvenienced at times in having to tend to matters personaly as alot of business owners find is the best way....some companies i have worked for have created ways in which their staff can work on a more independant scale with use of pre-made price lists for certain items... such as making up an in house diamond chart that can be formulated to give the salesperson a final price with a specified leeway percentage...all they need to know is how much they can quote....its really up to you to find stategies to resolve each situation....

The question of divulging cost hinges on your understanding of human nature. Unless they are enlightened beyond their station in life, every employee brings their own expectations of “honesty and fairness” into the workplace. They can and will evaluate individual transactions in the simplest of terms; here’s the cost, there’s the price, how can that be so high? “Isn’t it dishonest to sell this xxxx of jewelry since it was part of a free promotion last month? How is it fair to charge $299.00 for an item that costs $100.00? “ If you admit that your employees are not all business majors with an understanding of net present cash value, depreciation, inventory turn and loss, cash flow dynamics, federal, state, and local tax obligations, etc, then you have no reason to, and every reason not to, disclose cost information. Human nature will always pit the employee against the employer when there is disconnect between their values, even when based on the naïve conclusions reached be a good employee.