Monday’s snowstorm brought a white Christmas to most of New England, but it wasn’t enough to trigger an $800,000 giveaway to customers of Springer’s Jewelers.
In a news release Wednesday, the company said its Portsmouth, New Hampshire, location received 4.3 inches of snow on Christmas Day, 1.7 inches less than required to activate the jeweler’s Let It Snow deal. Under the promotion’s rules, if the Portsmouth store area receives 6 inches or more on Dec. 25, the company will refund the price of any qualifying purchase made at its three locations in the two weeks after Thanksgiving.
Springer’s has run the promotion for 11 years, and there was speculation that Monday’s powerful storm might have been enough to trigger more than $800,000 in refunds to customers.
And it almost happened. According to the National Weather Service, 8.4 inches of snow fell in Nottingham, just 25 miles to the west of Portsmouth. Elsewhere in New Hampshire’s Rockingham County, a trained spotter recorded 8.3 inches in Derry, and another reported 6.8 inches in Brentwood. Closer to the coast, however, Exeter received just 3.7 inches, as did Greenland, about 5 miles south of Portsmouth.
“Nobody was more excited than the Springer’s team that our 11th year of Let it Snow might be the one,” the company said in a written statement. It carries insurance to cover the cost of the refunds, should they ever be made.
Springer’s Vice President Zoe Beaulieu said Tuesday that more than 400 customers shopped at the jewelry stores during the Nov. 24 to Dec. 9 promotional period and bought almost $1 million worth of products, from $30 ornaments to $10,000 Rolex watches. There is a $10,000 cap for individual refunds, under the terms of the promotion.
Springer’s Jewelers contracts with Weather Analytics LLC to confirm the snow total. The firm uses satellite imagery, live radar data and other measures to calculate exact volumes of precipitation.
In a report prepared for Tokio Marine – Springer’s insurer – Weather Analytics confirmed Monday’s snow total of 4.3 inches. Springer’s was insured for up to $809,556 for the promotion, according to the report. The company initially said it was going to release the final tally Jan. 5, but it was able to obtain the total earlier, said spokesman Alex Jackman.
“This wasn’t the year for Let it Snow, but it was the closest we’ve ever been and we look forward to next year with all the excitement in the world,” the company said in its statement.
Besides Portsmouth, Springer’s has Maine locations in Portland and Bath.
Peter McGuire can be contacted at 791-6325 or at:
pmcguire@pressherald.com
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