Wow! All that in less than two years!! Impressive.
First Time shopping
- Thread starter picklelover
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Wow! All that in less than two years!! Impressive.
Me too! I am so glad you brought this up, because I have a question to ask that's related to those that have already been asked, but have been too scared to until now! This is my first time posting in the Hermes forum, so I hope I am not hijacking this thread...but I have read in the moderator comments that you should try to join other threads that are relevant rather than starting your own, so here goes...
My husband and I will be making a trip to Hawaii in late spring or early summer, and I'd love to purchase a pair of Oran sandals. Given my shyness/fear that I usually experience in B&M luxury stores, I would rather just purchase them online...but...I have wide feet and am not sure that these sandals will work for me. I don't live anywhere near an Hermes store and this will be the only chance I have to try them on in person...but I have been intimidated by the fact that I'd only be coming in to spend around $700 on a pair of shoes rather than thousands on a bag...and I'm worried that a SA will be annoyed with me for only coming in to spend that much. Does anyone have any experience with just going in to try on and purchase a pair of shoes? And if so, was it awkward if it didn't work out and you didn't end up purchasing? Did you schedule an appointment? I have TERRIBLE feet to fit (one is a 6.5C, and the other is a 6D!), and it's such a struggle to find shoes that fit properly, and are comfortable and actually stylish/attractive.
Thank you in advance for any information or advice you can provide...and please accept my apologies if I should've started a new thread instead of posting here!
The SAs get people all day long who come in only to demand or try to manipulate them into getting a birkin. Many walk out with nothing after realizing their efforts are unsuccessful. I think an SA would be pleased to serve someone with a genuine interest in a specific item. And if any H store would be a good place to start, it’d be Hawaii as they are accustomed to the casual shopper in shorts and flip flops. The store may even be back to normal walk in service by then too. Remember, it’s just a store! Have fun.
I understand exactly how you feel; the first times you do something outside your normal range of activities can be intimidating.
So now please accept this in the best possible way: what I put into bold and underlined is rubbish.
That was a blunt response - so in a more tactful (but possibly less effective) way, what I mean is, if you put it into perspective, you have no need to feel that way
You are intending to enter the store and spend §700; you are a genuine customer intending to make a purchase; despite what you read on here - what proportion of Hermes customers spend thousands evety time they walk through the door? Any decent SA would welcome you and consider you the potential lon-term customer of the future.
So, look forward to the experience; take a deep breath and walk in with a smile and confidence.
You would be treated with more scepticism if you entered, spent thousands and then asked if you could get a Birkin - RED FLAG POTENTIAL RESELLER.
p.s. acrowcounted seems to have simultaneously thought the same as I did
@acrowcounted and @WhiteBus -- thank you both so much for your kind and encouraging responses!
I didn't realize that there were so many people coming in making such demands, or with the intention of being resellers...that must be tough for the SAs to deal with! I will try to keep that in mind when I go into the store...I think it will absolutely help me feel more confident.
I didn't realize that there were so many people coming in making such demands, or with the intention of being resellers...that must be tough for the SAs to deal with! I will try to keep that in mind when I go into the store...I think it will absolutely help me feel more confident.
I absolutely took your response in the best possible way...and I appreciate it!
. I feel so much better about going into the shop now, thanks to your and @acrowcounted 's kind responses. Thank you both so much for taking the time to respond, and for doing so in such a thoughtful manner...it is much appreciated!I think I was like you until I called the local store. I got the call centre and a lovely SA called me back. I told her it was the second time I actually spoke to someone in Hermès. We really hit it off. She was chatty and we laughed. I felt really comfortable. I got a Bastia and a calvi and mentioned a few items I was interested in including dropping the K word. She was very cool. We will see how it goes from here on. I felt like they just want someone to be genuinely interested in the brand.
Hello ladies,
I'm also a newbie and all the advice here are so helpful! I am thinking of making my first appointment to my local store and would like your advice. I'd like to visit my local store to find a Silk'in compact wallet, because they don't show up often on H.com and even when they do, never in colors I like. I'm hoping my local store carries them... Would it be better to tell them when I make my appointment that that's my main purpose of visit and ask whether they carry them? Would they even tell what they have at the store to a first time visitor over the phone? Thank you so much in advance!
I'm also a newbie and all the advice here are so helpful! I am thinking of making my first appointment to my local store and would like your advice. I'd like to visit my local store to find a Silk'in compact wallet, because they don't show up often on H.com and even when they do, never in colors I like. I'm hoping my local store carries them... Would it be better to tell them when I make my appointment that that's my main purpose of visit and ask whether they carry them? Would they even tell what they have at the store to a first time visitor over the phone? Thank you so much in advance!
That just seems a sensible thing to do.
If you know of a colour way that would particularly interest you, say so.
Try to make your appointment far enough in advance of your visit to give them a chance to try and make sure they will have something for you.
p.s. If this is going to be your first visit, I don't think you should give the impression that that is the only item that interests you.
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Thank you for your advice, WhiteBus! I called my local store, but unfortunately it was the answering machine, even though it was their business hours. Is this normal?? I left a message saying I wanted to make an appointment. Hope they'll call me back soon. When I get to visit the store, I am planning to look at other things too, such as scarves and tableware. I just love looking at everything Hermes...
I recently made my first Hermes purchase and it was my dream bag, a C18. This was not my first visit to the Hermes store though. I had accompanied my BF to purchase a cardholder and gave my wishlist to the SA there. Unfortunately, I did not hear from her again. I thought I would try another location (I am based in NYC) and see what selections of SLGs and bags they had there. I instantly connected with my SA at the new location and at the end of the appointment, it felt like shopping with a good friend. It also doesn't hurt to let your SA know if it is a special occasion. I had told him that I wanted to get myself a birthday gift and my dream bag was a Constance 18. Of course, build that relationship with the SA, keep an open mind, and just be patient. Most Hermes SAs are very friendly and really trying to find pieces you love.
Thank you for your messages, picklelover and mslamlam! There were some good and some bad, but overall, I had very positive experience So, this is how my first visit to my local store went... Sorry for the long post, but I hope my story help other first timers!
I did get a call back from the H store the day I left a message on their answering machine. I told him it would be my first visit and I'd like to look at the wallets. He told me to just tell that to the SA when I came in to the store. He sounded so cold. I was hoping he wouldn't be my SA...
My appointment time came. The gentleman who was checking the appointment list at the door was nice and polite. He told me I had to wait a little bit as my assigned SA was still helping a customer. I started browsing the scarf section, as it was right next where I was told to be and I had to do something because I was so nervous!!
Then, a female SA approached and asked me what I was looking for. She apologized upfront that she probably had a few minutes with me as she was waiting for her client to arrive. Her client came right away so she had to leave me. But this female SA was all smiley and polite and made me feel at ease (at least a little bit.) My assigned SA turned out to be... just ok. He might have been new with the H, he didn't seem to have much knowledge about the products or colors. It was hard to carry conversation with him as he would only answer me with yes or no. When I politely asked him to show me specific colors, he couldn't locate it in the store even though his device said they had them in stock... Anyhow, I really wanted to purchase Silk'in Compact Wallet that day, and he was finally able to locate it in Hawaii, which was great. I wasn't sure of the color since he couldn't show it to me in person, but I took a chance and had it send it to me, thinking I could always return it if I didn't like it.
On the way back home, I kept thinking about that lovely female SA. It's funny because I only talked to her for a minute, but there was something about her. After about a week of contemplation, I finally took courage in calling the store again. This time, surprisingly, someone picked up the phone! I told the lady that I wanted to find out the name of this SA. She sounded upbeat and not only gave me her name right away, but asked whether I'd like to speak with her as she was right next to her! I got panicked, I probably sounded weird because I didn't know what to say... The nice SA didn't remember talking to me (lol) but told me that she would be more than happy to help me next time. I don't know when I can visit the store next time (it's an hour away) and she probably won't remember that we spoke on the phone, but at least I know who I'll be making my next appointment with! BTW, the wallet is very pretty!!! Thank you again ladies, for your advice!
So, this is how my first visit to my local store went... Sorry for the long post, but I hope my story help other first timers!I did get a call back from the H store the day I left a message on their answering machine. I told him it would be my first visit and I'd like to look at the wallets. He told me to just tell that to the SA when I came in to the store. He sounded so cold. I was hoping he wouldn't be my SA...
My appointment time came. The gentleman who was checking the appointment list at the door was nice and polite. He told me I had to wait a little bit as my assigned SA was still helping a customer. I started browsing the scarf section, as it was right next where I was told to be and I had to do something because I was so nervous!!
Then, a female SA approached and asked me what I was looking for. She apologized upfront that she probably had a few minutes with me as she was waiting for her client to arrive. Her client came right away so she had to leave me. But this female SA was all smiley and polite and made me feel at ease (at least a little bit.) My assigned SA turned out to be... just ok. He might have been new with the H, he didn't seem to have much knowledge about the products or colors. It was hard to carry conversation with him as he would only answer me with yes or no. When I politely asked him to show me specific colors, he couldn't locate it in the store even though his device said they had them in stock... Anyhow, I really wanted to purchase Silk'in Compact Wallet that day, and he was finally able to locate it in Hawaii, which was great. I wasn't sure of the color since he couldn't show it to me in person, but I took a chance and had it send it to me, thinking I could always return it if I didn't like it.On the way back home, I kept thinking about that lovely female SA. It's funny because I only talked to her for a minute, but there was something about her. After about a week of contemplation, I finally took courage in calling the store again. This time, surprisingly, someone picked up the phone! I told the lady that I wanted to find out the name of this SA. She sounded upbeat and not only gave me her name right away, but asked whether I'd like to speak with her as she was right next to her! I got panicked, I probably sounded weird because I didn't know what to say... The nice SA didn't remember talking to me (lol) but told me that she would be more than happy to help me next time. I don't know when I can visit the store next time (it's an hour away) and she probably won't remember that we spoke on the phone, but at least I know who I'll be making my next appointment with! BTW, the wallet is very pretty!!! Thank you again ladies, for your advice!