I am not really friends with any SAs, except maybe the SAs at the Saks near my house...(only in the capacity that if I am looking for something, they are willing to go out of their way to help me find it to the best of their ability or willingness) but I have friends who are bigger buyers compared to me and they've established a good rapport with people they work with regularly. That's what I mean by "friends", obviously I don't think people will start going out to clubs with their SAs anytime soon but I think if you establish some sort of loyalty with an SA they'll be more willing to help you when you need help finding something.
And then there are those extremely nice SAs out there (I've dealt with some before) who don't know you but will still give you the benefit of the doubt and offer you more help than you can ever expect from a stranger.
My SAs are likewise clueless about when the next shipment will arrive. They do have the lambskin version floating around the boutiques though.
