Building relationships with Tiffany sales associates

[TinaandCo]

Hi everyone,

I'm relatively new to Tiffany & Co (just got my first piece for Christmas from my husband a month ago), but I've been reading a ton of threads here and was intrigued by all the many stories about people with amazing sales associates (SAs) and how they get cards, birthday/holiday gifts, invites to special events, etc. from them. I LOVE the Christmas ornament gifts and thoughtful cards that I've been seeing on social media too! (In a way, I feel like it's the Tiff & Co version of the "Hermès journey".)

Inspired by these posts, I've been aiming to find a good SA to be loyal to. I met a kind SA earlier this month who gave me her card, and just bought a Tiffany piece from her last weekend. (She also offered champagne in-store. ) She has been texting me updates about my order and I plan to stay loyal to her for future purchases, though I don't know if I'll be making another Tiffany purchase until nearly Christmas.

Am I on the right track to hopefully building a good relationship with her? Do I need to spend thousands on non-sterling silver pieces to be memorable enough to perhaps get a birthday/Christmas card from her? Lol

I'd love to hear your stories about how you built your relationships with your go-to SAs! If they ever gave you gifts, invites or cool perks, I'd love to hear about that too!

 

[lill_canele]

My experience with my local Tiffany's is that turnover with employees is very high. The longest I've had an SA was about 2 years.
Every time I went in to buy, my previous SA was no longer there.

That is just something to keep in mind. Your store may have better employee retention than mine; I don't know.

My last SA (which was my longest SA) was a very friendly and fun gentleman. I didn't buy a lot from him (maybe 1 or 2 fine jewelry items?, a few home items and accessories as gifts for others). Since he doesn't work there anymore I feel more comfortable saying that he did invite me to the employee sale one time which is like an amazing discount on silver and fine jewelry from 40-60%. I will not say what I got (just want to be safe) but I have saved thousands.

As with all jewelry luxury houses, SAs make better sales with fine jewelry. And I can tell they get excited when I ask to look at the fine jewelry.
As with luxury houses in general, the more you spend, generally, the more perks you get.
So, technically, if you are a frequent buyer of fine jewelry or watches, you'll probably get all the perks. I don't know the yearly spend amount to be on VIP status for Tiffany but I know for a couple of brands it's $10,000 USD per year.

To be on a good relationship with your SA in general:
1) Be nice and respectful (not saying you're not, just making a list)
2) Respect their time, time is money for them
3) Adding onto #2, SAs very much dislike when clients see them very often and use up their time but don't buy anything (when they could have made a sale with another client)
4) Do not make frequent returns
5) Texting is fine but it's probably best to keep it professional (not too personal like someone who went a little viral with her Hermes story on YouTube), and to a relative minimum.
6) follow-up with their offers with a polite yes or no. No one likes to be left hanging.


On a side note (and in my personal opinion), it seems like you're very into getting wined and dined by SAs. And to be very frank, if that is what you're going for, it is not worth it.
(This is not saying that I don't spend enough to get nice treatment, I do in other brands and I have wonderful SAs who have given me holiday and personal gifts.)
I am saying this as a relatively high buyer of certain brands through my personal experience.
Small things like cards, holiday gifts, candles, champagne, etc. are just pennies to the company while you pay for much more expensive items. Remember, they are your SA, they rarely become your friends.

It's probably best to buy what you love and expect little. When something fun comes along, just enjoy it!

Hope this gives you some food for thought, happy shopping!

 

[spartanwoman]

My last two SA's from the store near me both have left. The first one was there for years, and has since transfered to a store in NY. My next one I had just really started building a relationship with (she was getting to know what I liked) has also now left. I feel adrift LOL!

 

[AnnaLou]

"...it seems like you're very into getting wined and dined by SAs. And to be very frank, if that is what you're going for, it is not worth it. . . . It's probably best to buy what you love and expect little. When something fun comes along, just enjoy it!"

I agree with this 100%. It is very dangerous to go into luxury buying with the desire of purchasing fine treatment. It can make it very easy to become addicted to the shopping experience, which is a fast way to financial debt. If you want to purchase luxury treatment without spending tens of thousands of dollars, I suggest finding a good spa instead.

This is a real danger of luxury buying, that a person doesn't want the actual item so much as they want the special treatment at the shop and the recognition from "those in the know" that they have luxury goods.

Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary is a big watch enthusiast but stresses emphatically that no one should EVER go into debt to buy something unnecessary. Not saying you are doing that, because you do specifically say that you aren't likely to buy anything until the end of the year, but just something to keep in mind since the only real way to "build a relationship" is to buy stuff. They have a job to do and their pay is partially based on commission, so if you aren't adding to their bottom line, they aren't likely to really care much. I just warn anyone not to try buy a lifestyle or special treatment that they can't afford.

You could also just ask them about certain ornaments, or anything specific that you like. They may be able to hook you up in the hopes that you might buy more later.

 

[TinaandCo]

My experience with my local Tiffany's is that turnover with employees is very high. The longest I've had an SA was about 2 years.
Every time I went in to buy, my previous SA was no longer there.

That is just something to keep in mind. Your store may have better employee retention than mine; I don't know.

My last SA (which was my longest SA) was a very friendly and fun gentleman. I didn't buy a lot from him (maybe 1 or 2 fine jewelry items?, a few home items and accessories as gifts for others). Since he doesn't work there anymore I feel more comfortable saying that he did invite me to the employee sale one time which is like an amazing discount on silver and fine jewelry from 40-60%. I will not say what I got (just want to be safe) but I have saved thousands.

As with all jewelry luxury houses, SAs make better sales with fine jewelry. And I can tell they get excited when I ask to look at the fine jewelry.
As with luxury houses in general, the more you spend, generally, the more perks you get.
So, technically, if you are a frequent buyer of fine jewelry or watches, you'll probably get all the perks. I don't know the yearly spend amount to be on VIP status for Tiffany but I know for a couple of brands it's $10,000 USD per year.

To be on a good relationship with your SA in general:
1) Be nice and respectful (not saying you're not, just making a list)
2) Respect their time, time is money for them
3) Adding onto #2, SAs very much dislike when clients see them very often and use up their time but don't buy anything (when they could have made a sale with another client)
4) Do not make frequent returns
5) Texting is fine but it's probably best to keep it professional (not too personal like someone who went a little viral with her Hermes story on YouTube), and to a relative minimum.
6) follow-up with their offers with a polite yes or no. No one likes to be left hanging.


On a side note (and in my personal opinion), it seems like you're very into getting wined and dined by SAs. And to be very frank, if that is what you're going for, it is not worth it.
(This is not saying that I don't spend enough to get nice treatment, I do in other brands and I have wonderful SAs who have given me holiday and personal gifts.)
I am saying this as a relatively high buyer of certain brands through my personal experience.
Small things like cards, holiday gifts, candles, champagne, etc. are just pennies to the company while you pay for much more expensive items. Remember, they are your SA, they rarely become your friends.

It's probably best to buy what you love and expect little. When something fun comes along, just enjoy it!

Hope this gives you some food for thought, happy shopping!

Thanks so much for your detailed reply and great tips!

Ah, yes, I have heard of high turnovers with SAs. I can imagine that many of the younger ones only intend to be SAs temporarily. I'm glad you had a great experience with your last SA! That's fantastic.

The one I was assigned to is an older lady in her 40s-50s (so hopefully she is there long-term), and she seems to like texting me. (No worries, I'm not an annoying customer, I only initially texted her to see what her working hours were so I could give the commission to her instead of ordering online, and she much prefers text over email as she has been communicating my order status that way. )

As for buying Tiffany's just to "get wined and dined by SAs", very good point and thanks for sharing. I'd love to clarify for all future readers that that isn't the goal, I just thought it would be fun since I plan to buy more jewelry pieces from Tiffany's, and was rather curious about how small cards and such worked.

I do intend to start a mini Tiffany collection though, as I am thrilled to have finally found non-platinum hypoallergenic jewelry that works for me! (I am very sensitive to many "nickel-free" SS/gold options that do contain very small trace amounts of nickel, and have tested hundreds of options for years, but am good with Tiffany's metals, so I am thrilled to finally be able to wear non-platinum jewelry again.)

Thank you again for your comment!

 

[TinaandCo]

"...it seems like you're very into getting wined and dined by SAs. And to be very frank, if that is what you're going for, it is not worth it. . . . It's probably best to buy what you love and expect little. When something fun comes along, just enjoy it!"

I agree with this 100%. It is very dangerous to go into luxury buying with the desire of purchasing fine treatment. It can make it very easy to become addicted to the shopping experience, which is a fast way to financial debt. If you want to purchase luxury treatment without spending tens of thousands of dollars, I suggest finding a good spa instead.

This is a real danger of luxury buying, that a person doesn't want the actual item so much as they want the special treatment at the shop and the recognition from "those in the know" that they have luxury goods.

Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary is a big watch enthusiast but stresses emphatically that no one should EVER go into debt to buy something unnecessary. Not saying you are doing that, because you do specifically say that you aren't likely to buy anything until the end of the year, but just something to keep in mind since the only real way to "build a relationship" is to buy stuff. They have a job to do and their pay is partially based on commission, so if you aren't adding to their bottom line, they aren't likely to really care much. I just warn anyone not to try buy a lifestyle or special treatment that they can't afford.

You could also just ask them about certain ornaments, or anything specific that you like. They may be able to hook you up in the hopes that you might buy more later.

Thank you for sharing!

I do intend to start a mini Tiffany collection over time, as I am very sensitive to many "nickel-free" SS/gold options that do contain very small trace amounts of nickel, and have tested hundreds of options for years, but am pleased to say Tiffany is the only jeweler I've found so far that works for me, and I am thrilled to finally have nickel-free SS/gold jewelry options beyond platinum.

But very good point indeed and will definitely remember this before I splurge on too many pieces! Tiffany gifting will likely just become a Christmas, birthday or anniversary tradition of sorts.

 

[DB8]

I'd love to hear your stories about how you built your relationships with your go-to SAs! If they ever gave you gifts, invites or cool perks, I'd love to hear about that too!

Not Tiffany related but my experience at other brands (Chanel, Hermes, Patek, Rolex) where I am a client of.

The biggest perk of being a good client of these luxury houses isn't the dinners, events, cards or holiday gifts. In fact, my SA's/SM's know as a client I have very little interest in attending these events or receiving these gifts (SM's usually ask me before an invite list is finalized by corporate whether I am interested in attending).

The biggest perk is.....access to hard to obtain luxury goods. Items like Nautilus, Aquanaut (or any Patek, really), mini flaps, Birkin, Kelly, Constance, any professional Rolex, don't magically appear on the shelves anymore, and are long allocated for good clients.

Guaranteeing I'll get something on my list is the only perk I truly care for.

Am I on the right track to hopefully building a good relationship with her? Do I need to spend thousands on non-sterling silver pieces to be memorable enough to perhaps get a birthday/Christmas card from her? Lol

To be blunt, yes, you'd need to spend thousands (continually) for you to be memorable to your SA. Depending on where you are, I don't know - mid 5 figures++ annually will keep you in their good graces lol.

 

[lill_canele]

Thanks so much for your detailed reply and great tips!

Ah, yes, I have heard of high turnovers with SAs. I can imagine that many of the younger ones only intend to be SAs temporarily. I'm glad you had a great experience with your last SA! That's fantastic.

The one I was assigned to is an older lady in her 40s-50s (so hopefully she is there long-term), and she seems to like texting me. (No worries, I'm not an annoying customer, I only initially texted her to see what her working hours were so I could give the commission to her instead of ordering online, and she much prefers text over email as she has been communicating my order status that way. )

As for buying Tiffany's just to "get wined and dined by SAs", very good point and thanks for sharing. I'd love to clarify for all future readers that that isn't the goal, I just thought it would be fun since I plan to buy more jewelry pieces from Tiffany's, and was rather curious about how small cards and such worked.

I do intend to start a mini Tiffany collection though, as I am thrilled to have finally found non-platinum hypoallergenic jewelry that works for me! (I am very sensitive to many "nickel-free" SS/gold options that do contain very small trace amounts of nickel, and have tested hundreds of options for years, but am good with Tiffany's metals, so I am thrilled to finally be able to wear non-platinum jewelry again.)

Thank you again for your comment!

Understood! Apologies for the misinterpretation.

I think the phrases that stood out to me were:

I LOVE the Christmas ornament gifts and thoughtful cards that I've been seeing on social media too! (In a way, I feel like it's the Tiff & Co version of the "Hermès journey".)

Am I on the right track to hopefully building a good relationship with her? Do I need to spend thousands on non-sterling silver pieces to be memorable enough to perhaps get a birthday/Christmas card from her? Lol

But anyway, now that I have a better understanding, here are my thoughts:

TBH, I think it's really up to your SA's personality and how much he or she likes you and how much he or she keeps you in mind for purchases, events, holiday gifts, etc. And how much they understand your tastes. An SA who knows your tastes well will invite you to view pre-release collections if he or she thinks you will like it and most likely will buy. (This happened to me for the lock collection https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/newest-tiffany-collection.1054632/ )

Some will forget you when you want an item that is currently out of stock and you never get an update or a response. This has happened to me before, but doesn't bother me. (It's not that they don't like you. They have a tons of clients and it probably slipped their minds.)

For some brands I have had the luck of having wonderful SA's who have given me VIP holiday gifts even though I am not a VIP. I did not even ask and they were kind enough to keep me in mind.

I think things like birthday or Christmas cards can be a little corporate. Since you gave them your birthdate, it automatically notifies the brand and the SA. I get bday cards from all sorts of SAs and brands that I don't spend frequently on in the mail.
The ones that matter (a little more) to me are the hand written ones given to me in person.

It looks like your SA communicates with you well and is responsive. Good signs!

 

[AnnaLou]

Regarding nickel-free jewelry, I am also sensitive and have had good luck with Simply Whispers. It is in no way a luxury brand. On the contrary, it is extremely inexpensive, but if you are ever looking for simple, very affordable jewelry that is completely nickel-free, you might want to check them out.

 

[lulu212121]

The location of your Tiffany store may also have an impact on the turnover for SAs. Store in Kansas City (if they still have one) might not have the turnover that a Miami one would have.

 

[TinaandCo]

Not Tiffany related but my experience at other brands (Chanel, Hermes, Patek, Rolex) where I am a client of.

The biggest perk of being a good client of these luxury houses isn't the dinners, events, cards or holiday gifts. In fact, my SA's/SM's know as a client I have very little interest in attending these events or receiving these gifts (SM's usually ask me before an invite list is finalized by corporate whether I am interested in attending).

The biggest perk is.....access to hard to obtain luxury goods. Items like Nautilus, Aquanaut (or any Patek, really), mini flaps, Birkin, Kelly, Constance, any professional Rolex, don't magically appear on the shelves anymore, and are long allocated for good clients.

Guaranteeing I'll get something on my list is the only perk I truly care for.


To be blunt, yes, you'd need to spend thousands (continually) for you to be memorable to your SA. Depending on where you are, I don't know - mid 5 figures++ annually will keep you in their good graces lol.

Lol noted Thank you! I can imagine you have an amazing collection of Birkins and Kellys!

 

[TinaandCo]

Understood! Apologies for the misinterpretation.

I think the phrases that stood out to me were:



But anyway, now that I have a better understanding, here are my thoughts:

TBH, I think it's really up to your SA's personality and how much he or she likes you and how much he or she keeps you in mind for purchases, events, holiday gifts, etc. And how much they understand your tastes. An SA who knows your tastes well will invite you to view pre-release collections if he or she thinks you will like it and most likely will buy. (This happened to me for the lock collection https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/newest-tiffany-collection.1054632/ )

Some will forget you when you want an item that is currently out of stock and you never get an update or a response. This has happened to me before, but doesn't bother me. (It's not that they don't like you. They have a tons of clients and it probably slipped their minds.)

For some brands I have had the luck of having wonderful SA's who have given me VIP holiday gifts even though I am not a VIP. I did not even ask and they were kind enough to keep me in mind.

I think things like birthday or Christmas cards can be a little corporate. Since you gave them your birthdate, it automatically notifies the brand and the SA. I get bday cards from all sorts of SAs and brands that I don't spend frequently on in the mail.
The ones that matter (a little more) to me are the hand written ones given to me in person.

It looks like your SA communicates with you well and is responsive. Good signs!

I appreciate the feedback - yes, I suppose the wording might have come across in a way I didn't intend it to.

Thank you so much for your follow up reply. All very good things to note!

(P.S. The Lock looks so good paired with your Cartier Love bracelet!)

 

[TinaandCo]

Regarding nickel-free jewelry, I am also sensitive and have had good luck with Simply Whispers. It is in no way a luxury brand. On the contrary, it is extremely inexpensive, but if you are ever looking for simple, very affordable jewelry that is completely nickel-free, you might want to check them out.

Thank you! Always up for any kind of nickel-free jewelry! I'll check them out.

 

[A bottle of Red]

I recently made a purchase in store at Tiffany, (a nice amount was spent) and no gifts were given with purchase nor sent out for the holidays.
I have to say I'm quite disappointed so op, definitely don't count on it.
ETA actually the only company to have given me small gifts was van Cleef; Graff has never sent anything to me even though I have spent significantly there; so it seems not every company does give gifts.