I went to the Shinjuku Isetan store around 11:30am today but they have a sign not taking anymore customers for the day! Surely have to leave room for walk ins
Anyone shop in Japan recently?
- Thread starter mushietushie
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They do. Walk-ins line up then they give you estimated wait time and notify you via once your turn is up. There’s just a lot of demand and people line up even before the stores open. I was only able to pre book an appointment at one location so I lined up for the others if we were in the area on those days. There’s a lot of demand and limited stock for VCA due to the weak yen and with the upcoming price increase you prob need to be there lining up earlier.
Good to know they have slots for walk in, though can’t exactly queue early as the Isetan store needs to open first before people can get to the store
Yah some stores open at 10 and some at 11. When I went a little past opening, the wait time was 5 hours. But that was prior to the price increase announcement.
Hi everyone! Since the price increase, does anyone know what the stock is like in Japan currently? Is it still just as difficulty to find Alhambra pieces?
it's still very difficult, even after the price increase. From March to September, there's when there's a high amount of tourism. Speaking from someone who goes to Japan every 2-3 months. Since last year, I noticed the stock is getting less and less each time. Extremely difficult to get a 5 motif bracelet but relatively easy to get vintage/sweet pendant.
high tourism = competing against every other tourist and local for the alhambra pieces.
Let me share my experience in Japan. This is a few days before the price increase.
My flight landed early morning and there’re plenty of time before the hotel allow me to check-in and there’re raining all day.
So, I reach the store around 10.30 Sogo Yokohama, there’re que in front the store.
It took me 30 minutes or so to talk to the SA about the availability of the WG Guilloche Alhambra earrings I want.
There’re out of stock in Japan, said the SA but there’re are Onyx and MOP available at the moment.
Then I registered for the appointment, there’re almost 30 ques ahead of me and I have to show up within 15 minutes after I got the notification email.
So I went on shopping, eating and check-in at my hotel (not for from the boutique).
I was about to give-up many times but the que keeps running and at 19.00 there’re 2 ques ahead of me. So I went to the boutique, the SA at the front who cannot speak English talked thru the translation device that there’re serving 2 customers before me. I was pretty hopeless at the moment but then I saw a happy face of a customer came out of the store with the VCA bag in her hand, that lit some hope for me.
19.30 it’s my turn, the SA at the front who can speak English asked me what’s the specific piece I want and they only have 20 minutes to service before the boutiques at 20.00, will I be okay with that?
The SA who took care of me show me a pair of MOP Alhambra earrings and not willing to show any other pieces in the boutique. I check the earrings and accepted it. There 2 choices of packaging, old one and new one.
They allowed me to pay the price without tax and issue the tax refund document to me. They accepted cash, card, or cash + card, but not 2 cards.
So far, I am happy that I can get the piece I want and the best part is before the price increase. The appointment system could be improving, imagine if I have waited for 8 hours for the appointment and not getting anything 🤯
My flight landed early morning and there’re plenty of time before the hotel allow me to check-in and there’re raining all day.
So, I reach the store around 10.30 Sogo Yokohama, there’re que in front the store.
It took me 30 minutes or so to talk to the SA about the availability of the WG Guilloche Alhambra earrings I want.
There’re out of stock in Japan, said the SA but there’re are Onyx and MOP available at the moment.
Then I registered for the appointment, there’re almost 30 ques ahead of me and I have to show up within 15 minutes after I got the notification email.
So I went on shopping, eating and check-in at my hotel (not for from the boutique).
I was about to give-up many times but the que keeps running and at 19.00 there’re 2 ques ahead of me. So I went to the boutique, the SA at the front who cannot speak English talked thru the translation device that there’re serving 2 customers before me. I was pretty hopeless at the moment but then I saw a happy face of a customer came out of the store with the VCA bag in her hand, that lit some hope for me.
19.30 it’s my turn, the SA at the front who can speak English asked me what’s the specific piece I want and they only have 20 minutes to service before the boutiques at 20.00, will I be okay with that?
The SA who took care of me show me a pair of MOP Alhambra earrings and not willing to show any other pieces in the boutique. I check the earrings and accepted it. There 2 choices of packaging, old one and new one.
They allowed me to pay the price without tax and issue the tax refund document to me. They accepted cash, card, or cash + card, but not 2 cards.
So far, I am happy that I can get the piece I want and the best part is before the price increase. The appointment system could be improving, imagine if I have waited for 8 hours for the appointment and not getting anything 🤯
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Can the ginza special be ordered at any vca store in japan or only at the ginza flagship? Thanks for any intel!
I am in Osaka this week and the rings inventory at the Shinsaibashi store is very low and in limited sizes. SA said the customers bought out the items just before the recent price increment. I left empty handed 😞