For a store credit issued in the US, it's good for only 1 year and can only be used in a US based Hermes. I have had large store credits, and always seem to be able to use them within the alloted time. They usually give you a little card that is like a credit card, so that you can use it elsewhere. Sometimes, I just leave the credit in their system, but prefer to receive the actual credit card. In Canada, you only get a paper receipt as a credit. If you so happen to have a credit, it is best to treat is as cash. If lost, there is no guarantee that you will be able to get the credit. System failures, managers leaving, SAs leaving etc....it happened to a girlfriend of mine...and was not easy to get the credit back. Her SA was going to charge send her something, she changed her mind, they didn't send it, but had to give her a credit. She never bothered to get the physical credit...months passed, manager left, SA left, no record of her ever RETURNING the item!! You see, she was already charged for the item, so they assumed she took it. It basically turned into a he said/ she said situation, before the new manager would even entertain going through the inventory piecemeal. Very tough..it was not a special item, but a handbag that was common, yet still a few thousand dollars. Not a situation that I would want any of my fellow tpfrs to be in, especially at these price points.
Sorry this post was so long, but I would hate for this to happen again to anyone. Get the store credit on paper or on the card!!!