The # 2 trade secret that jewelry stores don't want you to know is that their average retail mark-up is 100% and Higher. Actually, this information is available if you dig through SEC filing for public jewelry companies.

Why is mark-up so high on jewelry?

The main reason is that there are lots of costs associated in selling jewelry. For example, each store has to pay rent, pay commissions, pay its sales staff, pay for advertising, and hold its own inventory. And because most jewelry retailers do not sell in high volume, their profit must be high for each item in order to stay in business.

Another reason some jewelry retailers mark-up price so high is that they believe a higher price tag increases its perceived value.

How can jewelry stores that have 50% discounts still stay in business?

Have you ever seen small silver trinkets at jewelry stores selling for over $100? The mark-up can be as high as a few hundred percent. But a high price tag at a jewelry store does not necessarily reflect its true value. Have you ever noticed that some stores always have a 40% sale sign especially around Holidays?

You should watch out for these stores because they always inflate price and give you a big discount so you feel like you are getting a great deal.

Would you consider it a revelation that your most lethal weapon in battle of bulge is your Attitude?

Think about it. What good is your treadmill if you don't have energy to get on it, or can't get up motivation to crank up speed, or elevation? How useful are your dumbbells if you can't push yourself to use them in most effective manner? How good is a nutrition program that you can't stick to? How much fat loss will you get out of your workout videos if you just can't seem to get as motivated as that bouncy cheerleader who is urging you to jump higher, or that buff macho man who keeps saying, "C'mon, just one more rep!"?

No, none of those tools is going to get you very far unless your HEAD is in right place. As you read this article, you have probably already been exposed to more nutrition and exercise information than you could possibly ever need to actually stay in shape. You've probably read, listened to, or watched answers to your fitness issues enough times to win next Mr. or Mrs. Neighborhood fitness competition a dozen times over! Yet, you are still not where you want to be. Why?

Attitude.

Seeing Your Goal

Do you have a clear vision in your head of where you want to be, or what you want to accomplish when you are at a peak level of fitness? I don't mean just some vague idea - I'm talking about an actual burning mental image of a six-pack set of abs, or a nice set of curves, or a clear picture of you crossing finish line in first place, or taking home that trophy. If you don't have that, you are already just spinning your wheels. How can you expect to get somewhere if you don't know where that "somewhere" is?

Many people start out very motivated to get in shape, or to compete for that prize, but their motivation lacks focus - laser-targeted precision that will guide them down right path. The term "as crow flies" comes to mind. If you could leave your house and drive in an exact straight line to your destination, don't you think that you would get there a lot faster? What if you could just fly through stop lights and intersections, disregard all posted speed limits, and go exactly in a straight line to every destination? You sure would get there a lot faster!

Exercise, physical fitness, and nutrition are no different. If you don't have a clearly mapped out and measurable road map to your success, then you will stray, and that will cost you time at very least - and at most, it will cost you precious amounts of self-confidence! Take some time to think about WHERE you want to be, HOW you are going to get there, and most importantly, WHY you want to be there. Take time to do that, and I think you'll see that your previous path may have been road blocked by a few too many trips to Starbucks for a Caramel Frappuccino. Not that anyone writing a fitness article such as this would know anything about that...

Believing In Your Ability