May 25, 2020 Update: Sales Department Reopening Announcement

For the past month we have been working diligently on preparing a plan to reopen our Sales Department. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and patience with us during these uncertain times. With that said, we are pleased to announce that the Sales Department will be reopening on Wednesday June 17, 2020 at our regular hours.

We look forward to welcoming you to our store and we want to ensure that your health and safety and that of our employees are our top priority. We want you to be able to shop with confidence, knowing that every aspect of safeguards, cleaning and physical distancing have been implemented. As such, here is an outline of what you should expect when you arrive at our store.

Protecting Our Customers:

  • We will be limiting the number of persons in the store at any point in time.
  • There will be a greeter at the door to direct you to the appropriate department and personnel.
  • We have moved some of our display cases to allow for better physical distancing.
  • We have applied distance markers on all jewellery cases to encourage customers to be mindful of their proximity to each other.
  • Anything you touch will be cleaned so you will need to ask for assistance before picking up any items such as guitars or tools.

Protecting Our Employees:

  • Our Sales Associates will be wearing face shields.
  • We may limit the number of jewellery items you try on because we need to clean and re-tag each item.

Protecting Each Other:

  • If you are wearing gloves you will be asked to remove and discard them and then use the hand sanitizer that is provided to avoid cross-contamination.
  • If you do not think you can keep a physical distance of 2m from others, kindly wear a mask.
  • Regular cleaning and sanitizing protocols will remain in effect.

Please note that our three Goldsmiths will be on hand for your repairs and custom work will be coordinated by appointment.

We know that these protocols may seem restrictive, but they are in place to keep us all safe. The RCJ family that has been serving you for many years is eager to be back on June 17th to greet both new and familiar faces. Until then, please be kind to each other and be prepared to be patient with us as we get used to this new normal.

Stay safe and see you soon!

Sincerely

Ken Basso

UPDATE: April 24, 2020

I am updating our COVID-19 information for two reasons. One is good news that the Provincial Government may soon be loosing it’s restriction guidelines and we may be able to re-open the Sales Department sooner rather than later. The other reason is to address enquiries why our Sales Department is not open.

We recognize that we provide jewellery products that mark many milestones in people’s lives; birthdays, graduations, engagements, weddings, births, anniversaries, retirements and more. If it is important to you it is important to us, however; jewellery sales are not as simple as picking something off the shelf and paying for it. At this point, the risk to health and safety by handing items back and forth in close proximity to one another is still too high. We are closely monitoring the Provincial Government’s and the Health Authorities position on re-opening of businesses and it looks promising.

We are looking forward to things returning to normal very soon, unfortunately the new normal will have it’s inconveniences. We are in the planning stages to re-open our Sales and Repair Departments and anticipate a date somewhere between May 20th and June 20th, provided that we continue to see improvment with the COVID-19 situation in BC. The safety of our customers and staff is paramount and so we may have to do some things a little differently. For instance; on some occasions we may limit the number of sales customers in the store at any one time.

As we prepare to re-open the Sales Department we will continue our cleaning and disinfection practices and always where possible implement physical distancing. As we look to find better ways to protect you and our staff; I can assure you that we will continue to provide you with the best product, service and prices as we have for more than 65 years.

On another note; I want to thank our loan customers for staying compliant to distancing rules, for being patient and kind to one another and our staff.

Sincerely,

Ken Basso

General Manager

IMPORTANT UPDATE:

Loans Department to Remain Open, Sales Department will be Temporarily Closed from March 25, 2020.

Dear Valued Customers,

As you know, the conditions surrounding the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic are rapidly changing. We have made the difficult decision to temporarily close our Sales Department until further notice. Repair and Layaway pickups will still be available should you require it.

We understand that many people may require our help during these uncertain times. As such, we are committed to doing our best to support you. Our Loans Department will remain open at our regular hours of Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely and we would like to assure you that we are following the latest guidance from local, provincial and federal health authorities. If you have any questions or concerns about the temporary-closure or you need to speak to us regarding the status of your loan, please call us at 604-526-PAWN (7296).

We will continue to post updates as necessary on our website and social media. On behalf of the RCJ family, our hearts go out to all those impacted both directly and indirectly by the COVID-19 virus. Stay safe and well.

Sincerely,

Ken Basso

General Manager

UPDATE: March 21, 2020

To our valued customers:

In the past few days we have received several calls and messages regarding loans. I would like to assure you that we are trying our best to help during these uncertain and difficult times. Our staff is committed to helping you at great personal risk. Many people need our aid as a stopgap until they can get government assistance. We are here for you and anyone that needs assistance.

If you are having trouble making payments on your loan, we are willing to help on a case by case situation. We ask that you call us and ask to speak to either Jamieson, our Loans Manager, or myself to make special arrangements. We too are a small business affected by the impact of COVID-19 and we appreciate your patience and understanding with us at this time.

As a reminder, we are continuing to stay open during our regular hours. Social distancing is mandatory, and we are now limiting the number of customers that can be in the store at any given time. We are constantly cleaning exposed surfaces as your safety is paramount. Finally, I want to thank our loyal customers for respecting our staff and their safety.

Sincerely,

Ken Basso

WE ARE OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

To our valued customers,

I would like to update you on our efforts to continue to serve you and protect the health and safety of our employees and clients. Like you, we are monitoring the rapidly evolving situation around the COVID-19 disease and I want to assure you that we are following the guidance of the health authorities. 

Social distancing is now mandatory in our store. We have provided distance markers in the event of any line ups. 

Our store has increased and enhanced our cleaning procedures. You can expect to see us cleaning immediately after serving each customer and all jewellery is cleaned after any showing or handling.

Our staff have been directed to wear gloves and to steam any jewellery that is being taken in for repair. 

These are all small but important steps and while we continue to look for vulnerable areas no safeguards will work without your cooperation. 

Please do not enter our store if you: 

  • Display any symptoms of illness including fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, or difficulty breathing.
  • Have been in contact with someone confirmed or suspected to have COVID-19 .
  • Have travelled outside of Canada in the last 14 days .
  • Have been in close contact with someone who has travelled outside of the country in the last 14 days and has any of the above symptoms . 

 If you need to renew a loan please consider using eTransfer. 

Our plan is to remain open for business throughout this pandemic. Should things change we do not want you to worry about items you have in for repair or as collateral for a loan. Your items will still be safe in our care.  

As already stated; we are open for business. In the unlikely occurrence that this changes we will notify you on our website and social media. 

We appreciate your continued support and hope that you and your loved ones will remain safe during these difficult times. 

Sincerely, 

Ken Basso, 

General Manager