The Weekly Carat - Edition 14 - 12/9/25 by Days1914

The

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W2's and Home Address Updates

Lauryl is working hard on completing all end of year requirements One of those very important requirements is getting your W2's ready so you can file your taxes It is very important that we have your up-to-date address on file. If you have moved and never told Lauryl about it, please connect with her so she can update our records. The deadline to do this is Monday, December 15th.

✨ New 2025 Overtime Deduction Explained! ✨

Beginning in 2025, eligible individuals may deduct the overtime premium portion of their pay [the extra “half” in time-and-a-half] on their federal tax return This deduction applies through 2028 and may reduce your taxable income, depending on your filing status and income level

Key points:

• Deduct up to $12,500 (single) or $25,000 (married filing jointly)

• Available whether you itemize or take the standard deduction

• Must include your SSN on your return and file jointly if married

• We will provide year-end statements showing your qualified overtime earnings

• IRS will offer transition relief for 2025 reporting

Important: This does not change your paycheck or take-home pay—it affects your taxes when you file

IRS Guidance [Click Here]

This information is for awareness only and is not tax advice. For questions about how this applies to your personal tax situation, please consult a tax professional.

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Perks At Work- UNUM

A FREE employee perks and discount program that can help save you money on everyday products and services like clothing, electronics, event tickets, auto insurance, car rentals and more. Before you buy, check to see if you can get a discounted cost. The site will prompt you to set up a user account and you can even share your account with one other person.

First-time users, input UNUM as your company name to create an account.

Click the link below to set up an account:

Perks At Work Account Set-Up

Summary of what is available:

Location Spotlights

Manchester

Here are the results from the Manchester coat drive for their Day's of Giving. This is impressive!

Happy Worksgiving!

Manchester Team is celebrating with a turkey pot-pie and cupcakes ��

FROM THE VAULT

AvailableQuantityandRequestingTransfers

Thebestplacetoseeifanitemisavailableforsaleortransferistolookat theAJItembyLocationFactboxthatcanbeaccessedthroughSimple ItemSearchorJewelrySearch.

Afterenteringtheitemintotheitemsearchfield,theitemshouldbe highlightedingreenforthequantityinformationtopopulateinthescreen ontheright.

AvailableQuantityandRequestingTransfers

Howtodeterminethestoretorequestatransfer from:

Alwaysrequestfrom99(Warehouse)first.Thiskeepsthe productinthestoreswhereitcanbeseenandsold. Iftheitemisnotin99,pullitfromthestorethatis OVERitsmaximuminventory.Ifastore’smaximum inventoryqtyis1andthatstorehas2,requestfromthe storethathasmorethan1onhand.

Ifallstoreshaveanadequateamountorthereisno MaximumInventory,revieweachstore’s12-monthsales andpostingdate.I.e.,Selectthestorethathastheleast salesactivityand/orhashadtheitemthelongest.

RelatedProcedures:TransferRequest-POS,ItemSearchOptions-STORES

Video Training

How to decide best location to request a transfer from: https://youtu be/I730-bry508

How to decide best location to request a transfer from for a variant: https://youtu be/taPdb8gjgO4

Spaghetti Goes Along Way

Hi team,

As we head into our most important season of the year, I want to take a moment to reinforce something that has always set us apart - our exceptional service and genuine care for our guests.

Our customers remember how we make them feel, far beyond the piece of jewelry they take home Thoughtful gestures, meaningful conversations, and taking the extra moment to truly see someone can turn a single visit into a lifelong relationship These are the moments that will continue to shape who we are as an employee-owned company and why customers will trust us with their most meaningful celebrations for generations to come.

To support you in creating these memorable experiences, we ’ ve shot a short series of videos with Kevin Moriarty from our South Portland location, focused on clienteling and relationshipbuilding The stories and tips shared here are simple, relatable, and incredibly impactful

You can watch here: Clienteling with Kevin

You can also find them anytime on the Blue Box homepage, as well as under Education → Training Videos in the navigation bar. They will also be added to Day's University.

As the holiday season picks up, I encourage everyone to take a few minutes to watch, reflect, and think about how you can bring these practices to life in your own interactions. Small gestures can make all the difference...especially now, when customers are looking for warmth, care, and genuine guidance.

Family Recipes

Christmas Hot Chocolate Recipe

By Bobbi Avery

[3] Cups Whole Milk

[3] Cups Half and Half

[2] Cans Sweetened Condensed Milk

[2] Cups of Heavy Cream

[2] Teaspoons Vanilla

[3] Cups Chocolate Chips [can be milk chocolate or semi-sweet]

Place all ingredients in a pot or crock pot, stir until combined and hot.

Family Recipes

Recipe for Disaster (Workplace Edition)

By LT Sierra

Ingredients

1 manager who says “We’ll sort it out later”

0 written plans.

A mystery deadline and lack of accountability

Multiple people who think someone else is responsible.

1 broken printer (for atmosphere).

Instructions

1.Skip Planning. Schedule a planning meeting, cancel it, then claim “ we discussed this already.”

2.Assign Responsibilities Ambiguously. Say things like “We’ll all pitch in” so no one knows what to do.

3 Wing All Important Tasks Enter presentations with no notes, open the wrong file, and rely heavily on confidence and caffeine If you start to sweat, you're doing it right

4.Communicate Poorly. Send emails with no details, make decisions in hallway conversations, forget who you told, then deny everything.

5.Power Through Warning Signs. When someone says, “This feels off,” respond with, “We don’t have time to worry. ” Label these as “distractions.”

Serving Suggestion

Best enjoyed with lukewarm coffee, existential dread, and someone whispering, “who put them in charge?"

Final Result

A beautifully chaotic project that requires twice the work to fix, plus the group bonding experience of mutual panic

Bon appétit.

Directions

LATKES! Ingredients

two way s

1½poundsRussetpotatoes(thinkbig&yellow!) ½mediumonion,diced(wepreferyellow, personally)

2tablespoonsall-purposeflour*

2largeeggs

S+Ptotaste (allegedly)1/4cupcanolaoil(butprobablymore*) goodapplesauce&goodsourcreamfor serving/topping-essentialfordeliciousness

1 Peelthepotatoesandplacethemwholeinabowlofcoldwateruntilneeded(to preventdiscoloration!)

2.Peelandchoptheonionintochunks(whateverfeelsmanageableforyourfood processor,approx 1-2")

3.Chopthepotatoesintosimilarly-sizedchunks.

4.Inthebowlofafoodprocessor,combinechoppedveggies,pulsinguntilpulpy.(Yes, youcandothisbyhand,butit’sprettygrueling)

5.Withagoodsiliconespatula,scrapethemixturefromthefoodprocessorintoalarge mixingbowlpreppedwithalinedteatowelorcheesecloth

6.Gatherandliftthecloth,squeezingtodrainwaterfromyourpotato-onionmixture.

7.Keepsqueezing,keepdraining.

8.Transferthethoroughlydrainedpotato-onionmixtureintoanewmixingbowl.

9 Add/mixintheAPF,eggs,andS+P,combiningallelementswell

10 Inalargecastiron,heatoiloverMedium Whenit’sgoodandready,addlarge spoonfulsofthebatter usethebottomofthespoontoflattenintopancakes

11 Cookuntilbrownedonbottom(maybe3mins?) Flipandcookuntiltheothersideis alsobrowned

12.Transfercookedpancakestoaplatterlinedwithpapertowels.

13.Continuecookinginbatches,addingmorefryingoilas/ifneeded.

14 Servewhilehot,toppinggenerouslywithsourcreamandapplesauce

NOTES:

*It’sliterallyallaboutthefryingoil,sodon’tbeshy Hanukkahisafriedfoodholidayto celebrate the miracle of perpetually-glowing oil lamps in a time of darkness **In our household we SUB Gluten Free All Purpose Flour (King Arthur is best) Leftovers are awesomereheatedinanAirFryer!

Potato Latkes