It took a letter of recommendation, a video interview, nine secret judges, and a committee, but in the end there was no doubt: Rubazene (Ruby) Tucker was Bermuda's 'Best Retail Store Employee'.

Mrs. Tucker swept her category in the recent Visitor Industry Partnership (VIP) Excellence awards ceremony, and is still coming to terms with her win.

"It was such an honour," she says.

The news, however, comes as no surprise to those who have dealt with her in the fine jewellery department of A.S. Cooper & Sons Ltd., for Mrs. Tucker is both an employer's and a customer's dream: polite, caring, attentive and always ready to go the extra mile.

Instantly likeable, warm and friendly, Mrs. Tucker is committed to ensuring that her customers enjoy their shopping experience, and in the case of visitors she is particularly anxious that they leave with all of their questions answered, including those have nothing to do with jewellery.

"I am not only selling fine jewellery, but also I am selling Cooper's and Bermuda," she says. "Whatever it is a customer is looking for, I do my best to help, but if our store doesn't stock it I will tell them where to find it. I don't have a problem with that."

In the retail world, where lackadaisical attitudes and indifference to the customer and the merchandise are all too common here, Mrs. Tucker shines like the jewellery she sells.

No one whom she encounters, including those who are simply passing through the store, are ignored. Who knows, she reasons, a friendly acknowledgement of the latter's presence may be all it takes to have them stop at her counter, or even return as a customer another day.

Although she is expert at what she does today, Mrs. Tucker has only been in retail sales for a decade.

Prior to that, she spent 25 years as an investment banker which, of course, taught her a great deal about handling the public well. Then she decided it was time for a career change and got into jewellery - something she has loved from childhood.

"Jewellery was something I really loved as a hobby, and I just extended it, so when I arrived here it became a full-blown choice for me. I like to see women wearing pretty jewellery, so I had a small business designing and making my own.

"Then someone suggested it was nice enough to be sold on Front Street, so I came looking and found a job instead which was really, really nice.

"That's because it gave me not only a chance to show my jewellery but also to sell it because I have a good background in jewellery making and stones."

In fact, Mrs. Tucker continues to subscribe to various periodicals in order to remain current on trends in her field.

"Keeping educated on your product is really important," she says.

She is particularly fond of exotic jewellery and uncommon stones - "something very different from diamonds, rubies and sapphires" - such as black opals and Tahitian pearls.

Admitting that she loves to sell, the VIP awardee says it takes knowledge of the product, dedication and a genuine interest in people to be successful. Hard sell, however, is not her strategy. Instead, she first likes to put her customers at ease and make them feel welcome.

"I like to talk to people - you can always find something to talk about. In the case of visitors, it can be where they come from, or something about where they come from.

"Then I go on to ask, 'Is there something specific you have in mind?' If there isn't, I show them something that is unique to our store. A lot of the stores have the same things, so I show them something we specialise in."

If a customer is not specific in what she wants, Mrs. Tucker quietly sums up how she is dressed and the type of jewellery she is wearing (conservative or contemporary, for example), because making a general assessment of the woman's taste allows her to be of better assistance.

Indecisive customers are treated with the same courtesy as decisive ones, although Mrs. Tucker admits, rolling her eyes heavenward, that the latter do require "the patience of Job".

Simply by being kind and assuring, however, she hopes they will remember those qualities and return. And very often they do.

As for disagreeable, rude and hyper customers, she says: "I think humour is part of handling them. Sometimes, if they are rushed visitors I will say, 'Hey, you are on vacation. Bermuda is a place to relax', and they go, 'Oh, that's right. I am on vacation'. Sometimes that breaks the ice."

Beautifully groomed and unfailingly gracious, Mrs. Tucker also believes that, even if a salesperson is having a bad day behind the scenes, being nice to the customer is paramount.

"If you are having a bad day, that is not the customer's fault, and they should not be aware of it," she says. "There is a skill to selling, even if you have other things on your mind."

At the personal level, Mrs. Tucker copes with life's challenges thanks to "a deep faith which keeps me grounded, healthy and happy".

"There are so many people who have things so much worse," she says. "We should be thankful."

Asked which she prefers, men or women, as customers, the winning saleswoman does not hesitate.

"Men. They are more decisive than women - probably because they're not born to shop like we are. They are wonderful to sell to. A lot of them know what they want and they're out of here.

"Others won't know, and leave it to me to make the decision for them," she says. "I like to deal with men, especially the ones who are buying a wedding ring.

"They may think they want a certain ring, but I tell them, 'No, this is the one you want. You want her to open that box and say, 'Wow, I do!' and I upgrade their choice."

Turning to her VIP award, Mrs. Tucker says the first she knew that she was in the running was when a camera crew arrived at the store unannounced and conducted an on-the-spot interview.

"Apparent, someone nominates you by filling out a form giving all your credentials and why they think you should be nominated. A panel then whittles the many entries in your category down to three, following which you are interviewed on camera. "That really took me by surprise. I was so nervous I didn't know what I said! Then, I was visited by nine different judges. You don't know who they are; they may pose as a customer or stand back and observe you in some kind of way.

"In fact, when they were revealed at the banquet I only knew one of them. The judges also talk to your personnel people about your background with the customer, and your character. Then the ballots are cast."

Mrs. Tucker likened the actual night of the VIP banquet as "like going to the Oscars".

"All the nominees walk the red carpet, and you don't know who the winners are. They show the film clips of the nominees in each category on large screens. Then someone says, 'And the winner is....', and they open the envelope and your name is called."

Unlike Oscar nominees, however, the top retail store employee had no acceptance speech prepared. In fact, with characteristic modesty, she did not even imagine herself a winner.

"Instead, she sat there thinking, "I am so glad to be in this room. There are so many nice people here whom I have either met in passing or know.

"This is just the most beautiful dinner and immaculately planned event I have ever attended'. It was such fun, and a really glamourous, special evening for Bermuda."

Asked to describe her feelings as the winner, the mother of daughters Patricia and Sheri and grandmother of Ivana says: "You never know how you will react to an honour like that.

"You are just grateful that people think, 'She is doing a good job and should be recognised', especially since this is something I love to do and can do even better. I thought it was such an honour to be there."

If her award was a surprise to Mrs. Tucker, it was perhaps not so to her ailing husband who was unable to accompany her on the night, but said as she left: "You are a winner."

"I said, 'Thank you darling'," his wife recalls. "When I came home, he said, 'And the winner is?' and I said 'I won'. He was so pleased."

Part of Mrs. Tucker's award is a round trip for two to New York with accommodation at the upmarket Mandarin Oriental Mark Hotel. "My husband will be going with me, and we are really looking forward to that," she smiles.

Meanwhile, the delighted winner will continue doing what she does best: designing and making her own jewellery; repairing jewellery, including stringing pearls; and of course serving her Front Street customers with confidence, courtesy and a knowing smile.