There's always been competition, Mr. Necker said. The problem is the number of hats business owners and their employees must now wear. Each would have their own job to do. A sales person will have to know how to receive goods as well as accounting procedures and how to place order. There were more than three dozen independent appliance stores around the Quad-Cities when Mr. Zeglin and his older brother Andy and younger brother Jeff opened their appliance store in Moline in 1975.
Today there are just over a dozen stores that sell new appliances only.
Although the jewelry business hasn't seen the same decreases in number of stores, there is a general misunderstanding that all jewelry is the same and so is the price. A 50 to 70 percent sale means the product was likely marked up beyond its true price. A little difference in quality means a big difference in price, Mr. Necker said. Telling a real diamond from a fake isn't the problem, it's a quality difference. Mr. Necker said.