Question on San Fran LV boutiques..

[shonntew]

I am heading to San Francisco in a few weeks and was wondering which boutique is the best one to shop at?
I'm not exactly sure where we are staying at, but if one boutique is better than others, I definitely want to shop there first!

[UCDChick08]

It depends... The one in Bloomies would be better if you're only making a purchase, but don't go there for any exchange/return. (The SAs there are really mean about it) - And this store is much smaller than the one on Post St.

I've never shopped at the one in NM, but I requested a dustbag replacement from them before and they were nice about it.

And the one on Post St...... My roommate had some bad experience with this one SA (a Chinese lady), but I've never experienced any problem with this store. See if Angelica is available. I got my last handbag from her and she was really nice and helpful!

I hope this helps and have fun!

[euroaddict]

It depends on what you're looking for. The boutique inside NM has great service but the selection is limited. The selection same for the one inside Bloomingdale's, but service is kind of hit and miss. The Maison store on Union Square has the complete selection, but the service is kind of hit and miss also. The service at this store seems to be rushed because there are so many customers. I would avoid going on weekends as there are a lot of people who walk through and the service is even worse than it usually is. You have to be lucky to encounter an SA that is willing to take their time with you while you select; they do exist! Despite, all of this, the Maison is still worth a visit as they just installed a great piece of art inside and it is one of two that exist in the U.S. PM me if you want some SA recommendations at the Maison.

My favorite one in the Bay Area is Valley Fair. Their SAs are friendly and are willing to go out of their way for you. Their selection is the same as the Maison, except they don't have men's clothes.

[euroaddict]

Originally Posted by UCDChick08

It depends... The one in Bloomies would be better if you're only making a purchase, but don't go there for any exchange/return. (The SAs there are really mean about it) - And this store is much smaller than the one on Post St.

I've never shopped at the one in NM, but I requested a dustbag replacement from them before and they were nice about it.

And the one on Post St...... My roommate had some bad experience with this one SA (a Chinese lady), but I've never experienced any problem with this store. See if Angelica is available. I got my last handbag from her and she was really nice and helpful!

I hope this helps and have fun!

The free-standing LV in S.F. is actually on Geary Street, not Post.

[UCDChick08]

Originally Posted by euroaddict

The free-standing LV in S.F. is actually on Geary Street, not Post.

Oops!

[graphite]

I've never really gotten very good service at the Bloomingdales or Neiman Marcus boutiques, but everything UCD said about the Maison on Geary is spot on Avoid it like the plague on weekends, and service can be a hit or miss, especially if you don't have an established SA.

If Justine is there, she's awesome and really sweet, she's the main person that I go to The ladies in the women's handbag section can be a little bit rude, I try to avoid them.

The last time I went in I got Jason, who looks very intimidating but was a total sweetheart and knowledgable too - explained the whole special order process to me. He's a manager though, he always seems so busy.

[LVaznGRL]

I shop at the one on Geary, just because they have the most selection. Not everything is on the floor, so you will need to inquire if you do not see it. My favorite SA there is this petite, long haired Filipino lady named Priscilla. There are two Priscillas though..the other is also Asian, but not as courteous, in my opinion. The one I like is always helpful and she'll bring me 2-3 new bags of the same style to chose from each time because she knows I am super picky and want untouched bags that still have those blue plastic wraps on the the hardware. The best thing about her is that she will never push me to buy anything and she'll leave me alone to give me space to stare at the bags myself, unlike some of the other SAs at that store who are like vultures and will literally breathe down your neck. One time I went in to that store and seriously in the span of 2 minutes, I was approached by 5 different SAs, some of which who kept following me...and so I ignored ALL of them and went to one who didn't initially bug me.

[baglady362]

Go to Neiman Marcus on Union Square. I got some of my bags there last December. It's not crowded, so you get personalized service.. :) I seem to notice too that their bags seem untouched (even the ones on display) are in pristine condition. enjoy sanfo!

[shonntew]

thanks for all of your advice. I will probably have to visit a few of them!!
Also, one of my main purposes for going was to pick up the monogramoflauge bandeau. But I got nervous about not being able to find one by the end of July, so I bought one over the phone tonite.
Now I can "show" her off when I go shopping.

[LxTxNx]

I was just at the Bloomingdales LV boutique yesterday. Honestly my experiance was pretty bad not just because it's small but because they're selection sucks. They only had one sales associate and took 20 minutes for me to be helped because she was dealing with another customer at the register that kept trying to purchase something but her card kept getting declined (ouch!). So the reason i went there was for the Monogramouflage Bandeu & the Mono Wapity. However the poor excuse for sales lady that was there didn't know if they even made it, then I asked her for the Wapity and she didn't know what that was.... she had me spell it and after I spelled it she was like i've never heard of it. I had to point it out to her in the LV catalog so that she could see what I wanted to purchase. After all that they were out of stock in that too...I asked about the Grapite Damier just so that i could see it in person and she didn't know it was made. I was soooooo over her but never expressed it to her since maybe she was new to LV or something but the Geary St Boutique is nice and big with enough people to handle the traffic and knowledgeable staff. I would definitely recommend the Boutique not the in-store boutiques in Bloomies or Neiman Marcus.

[shonntew]

Originally Posted by LxTxNx

I was just at the Bloomingdales LV boutique yesterday. Honestly my experiance was pretty bad not just because it's small but because they're selection sucks. They only had one sales associate and took 20 minutes for me to be helped because she was dealing with another customer at the register that kept trying to purchase something but her card kept getting declined (ouch!). So the reason i went there was for the Monogramouflage Bandeu & the Mono Wapity. However the poor excuse for sales lady that was there didn't know if they even made it, then I asked her for the Wapity and she didn't know what that was.... she had me spell it and after I spelled it she was like i've never heard of it. I had to point it out to her in the LV catalog so that she could see what I wanted to purchase. After all that they were out of stock in that too...I asked about the Grapite Damier just so that i could see it in person and she didn't know it was made. I was soooooo over her but never expressed it to her since maybe she was new to LV or something but the Geary St Boutique is nice and big with enough people to handle the traffic and knowledgeable staff. I would definitely recommend the Boutique not the in-store boutiques in Bloomies or Neiman Marcus.

Why would they even hire people like that who don't know anything! For their prices and rep. they should make sa's memorize the catalog and upcoming merchandise..

[sari_luna]

Thanks eternally for this topic! I've made plans with a few family members to go to SF too, on mid-July hopefully. And I was curious to see which LV was the best. I made plans on going to Union Square and I am very excited about it. I hope to purchase my next LV there. Have a great time at Frisco!

And yeah, the only "designer" brand on Post Street is Coach. Now that I thought about it, I really wonder how big it is compared to the one in Valley Fair? :) Hm.

[euroaddict]

Originally Posted by sari_luna

Thanks eternally for this topic! I've made plans with a few family members to go to SF too, on mid-July hopefully. And I was curious to see which LV was the best. I made plans on going to Union Square and I am very excited about it. I hope to purchase my next LV there. Have a great time at Frisco!

And yeah, the only "designer" brand on Post Street is Coach. Now that I thought about it, I really wonder how big it is compared to the one in Valley Fair? :) Hm.

Actually Post Street has a lot of designer boutiques on it. Goyard, Saks Fifth, Tiffany, Giorgio Armani, Cartier, Bulgari, and Burberry to name a few. This is thanks to the revitalization of the city a few years ago.

The Maison on Union Square trumps the Valley Fair store by miles; the Maison is a football field, whereas the Valley Fair location is a baseball diamond.

[sari_luna]

Thank you for the info.!! I'm so happy that SF is doing tons better now, I just wish it wasn't 2 hours away. All those stores sounds so tempting now. It's amazing!

And that US LV must be incredible. I'm totally excited to go. Thank you! <3

[graphite]

Originally Posted by sari_luna

And that US LV must be incredible. I'm totally excited to go. Thank you! <3

The first time I visited the Union Square store, it was still in the basement while they were building the new store... It is AMAZING now