Hermes Cafe Bon Temps~Good Times Cafe

[MadMadCat]

Interesting conversation.

I have a slightly different point of view, which I hope won't offend anyone. I have been debating if answering or not, since I can come across a bit like an elephant in a China shop, at times

My point of view is that I value my time a lot. Being in control of my time and doing what I want with it is the ultimate luxury, therefore having to play the H game (the waiting, cultivating the relationship, not having to upset the SA, the "wishlist", etc) is what ruins the appeal of the B and K in my eyes. It actually negates what is "luxury" to me. I also don't value their scarcity, or exclusivity, since I know it is artificial. The only reason why I buy (some) H items is because there is no other brand that makes equivalent items of the same quality or look.

I also find H provides a shopping experience which is "luxurious" only at times. It appears to depend on the Store manager, and on the SA specifically, instead of being a culture of the company. That never happens in other high end retailers.

Just to give an example, I have bought several pieces of jewelry in my local store, from the same SA. She knows who I am, she sends me sweet cards for the holidays and checks on me with handwritten notes about my purchases. A few months back, I went there with my niece, to buy her a birthday gift. She was undecided and was trying several pieces. She got frustrated because she was unable to compare them side by side since, whenever she was putting one down, the SA would put it back in the box and store it away. My niece even asked me "is this your usual SA? she behaves as if she fears we'll steal something". That has never happened to me in any other luxury (or not luxury) retailer. I am sure it is some sort of store policy the SA was enforcing, and I don't hold it against her, but it certainly did not feel like luxury shopping.

I was reminded that one time I was in VC&A for a repair, and I saw a pair of beautiful earrings on display. I asked the SA about the stones, well aware of the fact they were out of my financial reach. The SA took the earrings out of the display, insisted I'd try them on, and even pulled out the associated necklace. It turns out the earrings were $850,000 (by far the most expensive things I ever had hanging from my lobes!), and I am sure the SA knew I would not have bought them. Yet, it was a luxurious experience because of her grace, helpfulness and smile.

I am not sure if what I call "luxury" can be bought. It is a mix of respect (especially of my time), love, comfort. Do you remember the scene of Pretty Woman when Richard Gere says "They aren't nice to people, they are nice to credit cards"? That's not luxury to me.

I hope I am not offending anyone by saying this. It is just my point of view, very personal. And I respect anyone who has it differently.

 

[Mindi B]

I agree with you wholeheartedly, MadMadCat. I would suggest that having the luxury of time still connects to issues of money, in that the more of the latter one has, the more one can arrange to have free chunks of the former. But I totally see your points and you have put them beautifully.
My DH is committed to travelling business or first class whenever possible, and it has nothing to do with leg room, meal service, or social standing. . . it has to do with time. He can board first, stow his carry-on, and be DONE. Time!
And I, too, have a very negative reaction to being treated as untrustworthy under any circumstances. Or as stupid. Big mistake. Huge.

 

[MSO13]

Interesting conversation.

I have a slightly different point of view, which I hope won't offend anyone. I have been debating if answering or not, since I can come across a bit like an elephant in a China shop, at times

My point of view is that I value my time a lot. Being in control of my time and doing what I want with it is the ultimate luxury, therefore having to play the H game (the waiting, cultivating the relationship, not having to upset the SA, the "wishlist", etc) is what ruins the appeal of the B and K in my eyes. It actually negates what is "luxury" to me. I also don't value their scarcity, or exclusivity, since I know it is artificial. The only reason why I buy (some) H items is because there is no other brand that makes equivalent items of the same quality or look.

I also find H provides a shopping experience which is "luxurious" only at times. It appears to depend on the Store manager, and on the SA specifically, instead of being a culture of the company. That never happens in other high end retailers.

Just to give an example, I have bought several pieces of jewelry in my local store, from the same SA. She knows who I am, she sends me sweet cards for the holidays and checks on me with handwritten notes about my purchases. A few months back, I went there with my niece, to buy her a birthday gift. She was undecided and was trying several pieces. She got frustrated because she was unable to compare them side by side since, whenever she was putting one down, the SA would put it back in the box and store it away. My niece even asked me "is this your usual SA? she behaves as if she fears we'll steal something". That has never happened to me in any other luxury (or not luxury) retailer. I am sure it is some sort of store policy the SA was enforcing, and I don't hold it against her, but it certainly did not feel like luxury shopping.

I was reminded that one time I was in VC&A for a repair, and I saw a pair of beautiful earrings on display. I asked the SA about the stones, well aware of the fact they were out of my financial reach. The SA took the earrings out of the display, insisted I'd try them on, and even pulled out the associated necklace. It turns out the earrings were $850,000 (by far the most expensive things I ever had hanging from my lobes!), and I am sure the SA knew I would not have bought them. Yet, it was a luxurious experience because of her grace, helpfulness and smile.

I am not sure if what I call "luxury" can be bought. It is a mix of respect (especially of my time), love, comfort. Do you remember the scene of Pretty Woman when Richard Gere says "They aren't nice to people, they are nice to credit cards"? That's not luxury to me.

I hope I am not offending anyone by saying this. It is just my point of view, very personal. And I respect anyone who has it differently.

I'm glad you felt comfortable answering! While we differ in opinion, I like hearing from everyone!

I think you make a valid point, the company culture is only as strong as the SA, their training and the supervisors. When luxury service comes down to individuals, human error is bound to happen and the forum is filled with tales of SAs who are ill informed or less than welcoming. (I think that's a jewelry policy though it's not a nice feeling)

I also think with Bs and Ks, there's a difference between exclusivity and scarcity. The remain exclusive in the fact that you cannot easily walk into a store and buy one. You're either lucky, chosen or willing to cough up before they offer. Scarcity is also relative, on this forum and in the world of fashion blogs, Instagram etc they do seem ubiquitous but compared to say an LV Speedy? There are nowhere near as many Hermes bags in the world as their are from other brands. The number of bags produced per year by the whole brand is a fraction of any other luxury goods brand with the exception of the few others that still produce by hand. It's also a matter of where you live and your lifestyle and your community. I'm sure in pockets of the world "everyone" has not just a B but exotics and other rare bags-in my world that's almost non existent so to me they seem incredibly rare and special.

I hope you and the rest of the Cafe are having a nice day and we're not going on too long with this conversation!

 

[MSO13]

In other news, I sent off a dream proposal a few months ago and while I didn't get the full enchilada, I'm getting to work with a milestone client for me on a wonderful project. Just the small piece of the project that they gave me is incredibly exciting! Consider it like 1/4 of the dream job with a side order of incredible networking opportunities and future connections!

 

[Mindi B]

That is wonderful, MrsO! Congratulations on your new gig! You will knock it out of the park, of course, and it will lead to even greater things. . . .

 

[cremel]

Interesting conversation.

I have a slightly different point of view, which I hope won't offend anyone. I have been debating if answering or not, since I can come across a bit like an elephant in a China shop, at times

My point of view is that I value my time a lot. Being in control of my time and doing what I want with it is the ultimate luxury, therefore having to play the H game (the waiting, cultivating the relationship, not having to upset the SA, the "wishlist", etc) is what ruins the appeal of the B and K in my eyes. It actually negates what is "luxury" to me. I also don't value their scarcity, or exclusivity, since I know it is artificial. The only reason why I buy (some) H items is because there is no other brand that makes equivalent items of the same quality or look.

I also find H provides a shopping experience which is "luxurious" only at times. It appears to depend on the Store manager, and on the SA specifically, instead of being a culture of the company. That never happens in other high end retailers.

Just to give an example, I have bought several pieces of jewelry in my local store, from the same SA. She knows who I am, she sends me sweet cards for the holidays and checks on me with handwritten notes about my purchases. A few months back, I went there with my niece, to buy her a birthday gift. She was undecided and was trying several pieces. She got frustrated because she was unable to compare them side by side since, whenever she was putting one down, the SA would put it back in the box and store it away. My niece even asked me "is this your usual SA? she behaves as if she fears we'll steal something". That has never happened to me in any other luxury (or not luxury) retailer. I am sure it is some sort of store policy the SA was enforcing, and I don't hold it against her, but it certainly did not feel like luxury shopping.

I was reminded that one time I was in VC&A for a repair, and I saw a pair of beautiful earrings on display. I asked the SA about the stones, well aware of the fact they were out of my financial reach. The SA took the earrings out of the display, insisted I'd try them on, and even pulled out the associated necklace. It turns out the earrings were $850,000 (by far the most expensive things I ever had hanging from my lobes!), and I am sure the SA knew I would not have bought them. Yet, it was a luxurious experience because of her grace, helpfulness and smile.

I am not sure if what I call "luxury" can be bought. It is a mix of respect (especially of my time), love, comfort. Do you remember the scene of Pretty Woman when Richard Gere says "They aren't nice to people, they are nice to credit cards"? That's not luxury to me.

I hope I am not offending anyone by saying this. It is just my point of view, very personal. And I respect anyone who has it differently.

I am absolutely not offended by your comments and in fact I agree on lots of points you made. [emoji173]️[emoji173]️

 

[EmileH]

Madmadcat: Great points. Well made.


Mrsowen: congratulations! That's wonderful news.

 

[katekluet]

Mrs. Owen, congrats and they are fortunate to have you as part of the project!

 

[eagle1002us]

Interesting conversation.

I have a slightly different point of view, which I hope won't offend anyone. I have been debating if answering or not, since I can come across a bit like an elephant in a China shop, at times

My point of view is that I value my time a lot. Being in control of my time and doing what I want with it is the ultimate luxury, therefore having to play the H game (the waiting, cultivating the relationship, not having to upset the SA, the "wishlist", etc) is what ruins the appeal of the B and K in my eyes. It actually negates what is "luxury" to me. I also don't value their scarcity, or exclusivity, since I know it is artificial. The only reason why I buy (some) H items is because there is no other brand that makes equivalent items of the same quality or look.

I also find H provides a shopping experience which is "luxurious" only at times. It appears to depend on the Store manager, and on the SA specifically, instead of being a culture of the company. That never happens in other high end retailers.

Just to give an example, I have bought several pieces of jewelry in my local store, from the same SA. She knows who I am, she sends me sweet cards for the holidays and checks on me with handwritten notes about my purchases. A few months back, I went there with my niece, to buy her a birthday gift. She was undecided and was trying several pieces. She got frustrated because she was unable to compare them side by side since, whenever she was putting one down, the SA would put it back in the box and store it away. My niece even asked me "is this your usual SA? she behaves as if she fears we'll steal something". That has never happened to me in any other luxury (or not luxury) retailer. I am sure it is some sort of store policy the SA was enforcing, and I don't hold it against her, but it certainly did not feel like luxury shopping.

I was reminded that one time I was in VC&A for a repair, and I saw a pair of beautiful earrings on display. I asked the SA about the stones, well aware of the fact they were out of my financial reach. The SA took the earrings out of the display, insisted I'd try them on, and even pulled out the associated necklace. It turns out the earrings were $850,000 (by far the most expensive things I ever had hanging from my lobes!), and I am sure the SA knew I would not have bought them. Yet, it was a luxurious experience because of her grace, helpfulness and smile.

I am not sure if what I call "luxury" can be bought. It is a mix of respect (especially of my time), love, comfort. Do you remember the scene of Pretty Woman when Richard Gere says "They aren't nice to people, they are nice to credit cards"? That's not luxury to me.

I hope I am not offending anyone by saying this. It is just my point of view, very personal. And I respect anyone who has it differently.

@MadMadCat I totally agree with you. Back a decade ago when Dior was making the big rings of enameled flowers surrounding a large center stone (these ran like $28K), I was in Harrod's and able to see them close up. I knew what some of the less common stones were and the SA was happy to let me try some rings on. She was so gracious. These rings were way beyond me in price but I had a fun moment trying them on. I think it's better for customers to be interacting with the merchandise than if the boutique looks dis-spiritedly empty.
Dumas of H says that it''s better to wait for luxury. Oh heck, I'm into immediate gratification, so is half the country! Fashions and more important, fashionable colors change so quickly, from season to season, it's important to get some fashion mileage from a bag color or style if at all possible. He is off the wall. I bet he never has to wait for anything! He doesn't know what it's like.
I really think the SA's caution about letting your niece to try on a couple of things at the same time is way out of line. Your niece called it correctly. She's a smart girl who is too sensible to be intimidated.

Moreover, that is exactly how I often decide among HS: try a couple at a time (what are two shoulders for???).

And the H managers. I've had some doozies. One wouldn't let me try on a bag that was "in the back" b/c I turned down a brown B from her (I never wear brown and she just called me on the phone and offered it out of the blue). And another manager transferred to our boutique from another. The first time I met him he pulled out the Meteore ring, a big chunk of silver, nice, but not quite me. He was stunned when I declined it (which I did nicely enough) and he sneered, "I was told you were this great customer." I can't believe the guy said that.

 

[Madam Bijoux]

In other news, I sent off a dream proposal a few months ago and while I didn't get the full enchilada, I'm getting to work with a milestone client for me on a wonderful project. Just the small piece of the project that they gave me is incredibly exciting! Consider it like 1/4 of the dream job with a side order of incredible networking opportunities and future connections!

Congratulations, MrsOwen3!

 

[Cordeliere]

@MadMadCat And another manager transferred to our boutique from another. The first time I met him he pulled out the Meteore ring, a big chunk of silver, nice, but not quite me. He was stunned when I declined it (which I did nicely enough) and he sneered, "I was told you were this great customer." I can't believe the guy said that.

I can't believe he said that to you. I can be quick with a retort. I would have been inclined to say "and I thought Hermes prided itself in exhibiting class."

But that is probably not the way to cultivate a relationship.

 

[Cordeliere]

In other news, I sent off a dream proposal a few months ago and while I didn't get the full enchilada, I'm getting to work with a milestone client for me on a wonderful project. Just the small piece of the project that they gave me is incredibly exciting! Consider it like 1/4 of the dream job with a side order of incredible networking opportunities and future connections!

I remember when you were talking about submitting the proposal. You were really enthusiastic about their values as a business. It is probably in your best interests to have gotten only 1/4 of the job. Much easier to be successful and make a good impression for future work. And a good opportunity to get more of a feel for them so you can wow them even more when they give you a second job. Congrats.

 

[MadMadCat]

I can't believe he said that to you. I can be quick with a retort. I would have been inclined to say "and I thought Hermes prided itself in exhibiting class."

But that is probably not the way to cultivate a relationship.

I would have probably said something worse, like " I AM a great client, just not to you!"

And now you know why i am not into cultivating relationships with SAs [emoji1]

 

[MadMadCat]

I'm glad you felt comfortable answering! While we differ in opinion, I like hearing from everyone!

I think you make a valid point, the company culture is only as strong as the SA, their training and the supervisors. When luxury service comes down to individuals, human error is bound to happen and the forum is filled with tales of SAs who are ill informed or less than welcoming. (I think that's a jewelry policy though it's not a nice feeling)

I also think with Bs and Ks, there's a difference between exclusivity and scarcity. The remain exclusive in the fact that you cannot easily walk into a store and buy one. You're either lucky, chosen or willing to cough up before they offer. Scarcity is also relative, on this forum and in the world of fashion blogs, Instagram etc they do seem ubiquitous but compared to say an LV Speedy? There are nowhere near as many Hermes bags in the world as their are from other brands. The number of bags produced per year by the whole brand is a fraction of any other luxury goods brand with the exception of the few others that still produce by hand. It's also a matter of where you live and your lifestyle and your community. I'm sure in pockets of the world "everyone" has not just a B but exotics and other rare bags-in my world that's almost non existent so to me they seem incredibly rare and special.

I hope you and the rest of the Cafe are having a nice day and we're not going on too long with this conversation!

Re: exclusivity. Yes, there are not nearly as many H bags as LV, but the percentage of people who can buy H is also much smaller. So, compared to the "territory" or to the so called "white space" in sales terms, H bags aren't so scarce.

We all know that if one buys a few thousands of dollars of items per year, the Bs and Ks appear.

I only own two H bags. One is a leather garden party, which i bought because it suits my needs and is probably the most under the radar H bag of all. The second is a B that my dad bought for my mom when it was possible to just buy K and B off the shelf. When my dad passed away my mom gave it to me. I hardly use it because i don't really like carrying a bag that everyone recognizes. But that's just me.

 

[Genie27]

I don't buy a lot of items, maybe 1-2 pieces a year if that, so it's tough to develop a relationship with SAs unless they are ok with that. The ones that do, and aren't pushy, and still somewhat remember me are worth going back to.

I can't say anyone has been horrendously rude, except one SA at Gucci who snottily told me they never get any shoes below 38. I told her, that's why I shop elsewhere.

But I still recall my experience at Tiffanys about a decade ago. I was in the rattiest sweatshirt ever, and shabby jeans and decided to look at their silver jewelry. Along the way, a gorgeous Tahitian pearl and diamond necklace caught my eye and I stopped to admire it. I still remember how the SA took it out for me to try - it was insanely expensive, but she never made me feel like I couldn't afford it, even as it sat on the rattiest sweatshirt, she smiled and said, "perhaps someday"