Am I too poor for Hèrmes?
- Thread starter laurasaprincess
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This actually happened to me at Gucci. My Stella McCartney black Falabella was on the counter and everyone was touching it and admiring it LOL it was bizarre. My girlfriend had to hold it for me. Not even an expensive bag and most people wouldn’t take a second look knowing it wasn’t leather!
See, this is why I will not ever get a Birkin from a store. Just won’t. It’s not the price, but the extortionate attitude. That’s not a sale, it’s a hostage situation...
That has generally been my experience as well....
This is so true. I have family members who are financially far far better off than me who think I’m insane for buying even LV.
I don't think there's a threshold for at what income level you can start shopping a Hermes. It's all a matter of your financial comfort and priorities! Like someone with household income of $300k might not feel comfortable with buying even 1 Birkin, while someone with household income of $100k is comfortable with buying a couple Birkins. Some people have the disposable cash savings to just pay upfront, others have to save up and cut spending elsewhere. Regardless of the financial background, those who do end up with Hermes items, do love what they bought!
So I agree with everyone who says don't feel pressured to spend a lot of $$ there, go for what you happen to love. It seems like these days, half of the people who get their first Birkin or Kelly happened to get lucky, without having to build a profile of many items with the same SA. I'm also just beginning to explore Hermes because I always thought it was for the uber wealthy too (which I am not). I mean, $10k+ on a bag?? Maybe the uber wealthy can have hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of Birkins, but it doesn't sound crazy to me anymore to own 1 (or 2, or 3...haha). And my husband actually agreed that I shouldn't wait until I'm "too old" to enjoy a Birkin.
No, not at all! I was responding to the rather unfortunate implication that you were not being polite, that had just been floated. You sound like an intelligent and polite young woman, And I sincerely wanted to assure you of that.
Thank you! Yes, not sure why it was assumed I was impolite. I didn’t really need advice on how to be kind to sales associates... I go out of my way to be kind to everyone, including those who are unkind to me. Thanks for your interest in the thread I started.
This thread is kinda going over old ground with treatment in H Stores. Let's get it back to the unique feature of the title.
No one is too poor for H if s/he can afford a couple of Birkins a year. And if that's not the bag you're after then so much the better because other bags bar the K or C in certain sizes or colours are slightly easier to purchase. The reseller route is the most cost effective if someone is looking only for bags and not looking to diversify. Personally, I'm so far across the departments I like going to the biggest stores just so I can buy leather, china, silk and something for a horse all on one outing.
There are wealthy people who would consider an H superfluous to their lives and people who's life and wardrobe seems complete with the addition of a Constance belt and save every penny to finally buy it. There's something for all and then some. But yes H is crazy expensive considering alternatives. It's about choices and priorities for our hard-earned money and for me I factor in the justification of longevity and aftercare too.
No one is too poor for H if s/he can afford a couple of Birkins a year. And if that's not the bag you're after then so much the better because other bags bar the K or C in certain sizes or colours are slightly easier to purchase. The reseller route is the most cost effective if someone is looking only for bags and not looking to diversify. Personally, I'm so far across the departments I like going to the biggest stores just so I can buy leather, china, silk and something for a horse all on one outing.
There are wealthy people who would consider an H superfluous to their lives and people who's life and wardrobe seems complete with the addition of a Constance belt and save every penny to finally buy it. There's something for all and then some. But yes H is crazy expensive considering alternatives. It's about choices and priorities for our hard-earned money and for me I factor in the justification of longevity and aftercare too.
I couldn’t agree more, it’s really degrading .
I do think sometimes that Hermes or perhaps specifically the B/K/Cs are marketed as or intended to be status symbols of the ultra rich. So while we may not be too “poor” to pay for them, I sometimes think I’m personally too “poor” to be carrying those particular bags out publicly. This bugs me because I love the look of the bags and the quality of the workmanship, I’d just rather not tote them out in public since I’m not ultra rich and definitely do not want to give off that impression. So right now I don’t have a B/K and though I flirt with the idea of buying pre-owned I always hesitate to pull the trigger.
I think it really depends which bag and how you carry it. I wear my bags with almost anything, but they are clemence or togo (for the most part) and mostly casual styles like a larger B, evelynes, etc. A beautiful leather bag like that can be casual.
I understand what you are talking about. I was lucky to find an amazing H SA 15 years ago and was introduced to such a teasures! I love every single minute of it and though I spend a lot it was nothing snobbish about the Brand there. I became a total addicted person but loving single minute of it and everything I bought, the bags a small part of it, me being at the mid of my twenties and not too wealthy at all.. I am still a big fun of the brand, It quality and history but when I am traveling, I occasionally can pop up to Hermes Boutiques around the world to see all the things you are talking about, it makes me feel very sad as I believe Hermes doesn’t need this game .. Hope everything can get back to normal
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Yes, I think one could say in general, a brand that carries $45,000 armchairs, $2500 diaper bags, $1,000 shoes, and handbags that start at $2300 (for canvas), and run around $8,000 on average, is a brand whose demographic is the very wealthy. They don’t check one’s bank statement at the the door though, and everyone who can pay the bill is welcome to shop. Whether and how you get a Birkin is an entirely different question, and that is covered extensively on some other threads. For those questions, the shopping threads, the Maintaining an H Relationship and others are very helpful. Good luck in your quest!
