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Cash For Gold Nights A Winner For All?

Recently a friend hosted a “Cash For Gold” party with another friend who was a jewler. The party is the new level of what used to be tupperware, jewelry buying, lingerie buying, makeup or AMWAY parties…the host does the legwork, invites friends for some drinks and snacks and the salesperson, usually a her, pitches her wares and makes some nice sales. So in today’s economy, with jewelers hurting and looking for new opportunities, why now have in-home parties where people get rid of their unwanted stuff. Ed McMahon hawked Cash4Gold during the Super Bowl for those who didn’t remember? With that type of in-house promotion in mind, why wouldn’t teams looking for new promotions that can even assist fans, and their local jeweler, start Cash For Gold nights? Jewelers have always specialized in local sports promotions, Valentine’s Day, hidden diamonds, cash machines, wedding proposals etc., so this event would create visibility, real cash, potential foot traffic into a store, and give a team, especially a minor league team, some new revenue and exposure. For those with larger audiences, maybe even a consortium of jewlers, and use a voucher in lieu of cash on the spot? Maybe even get player involved with moving some bling, with a portion going to charity? The Lakewood Blue Claws are apparently gonna give it a try with a local partner, but for a continuing promotion that can actually give cash back, a Cash For Gold night could be a traffic getter and a money maker for distressed inventory in a down economy.

Some other good reads…Stefan Fatsis’ piece in the New York Times on team handball and its benefits sheds light on another American potential sport that has yet to be realized…the Boston Globe also had a good piece on the Williams-Amherst 150 year baseball celebration… si.com’s Ben Fowlkes has a good column explaining Roy Jones Jr’s value to Mixed Martial Arts… and Jon Heyman has a good look at the top feel good stories that still remain in baseball despite the issues grabbing headlines.