I could be wrong, but I think the SAs are just letting you shop around without putting any pressure on you. If you want help, ask for it. Someone will be glad to assist you.
I love the term "museum client" that's been used here by
@880 - it so perfectly describes the situation with the looky-loos. I think it also depends on what time and what day you go to Madison (Full disclosure - I live near Boston, but most of my shopping is done in NYC so this feels like my home store even though I've also shopped at Wall St. Also, it should be noted, I haven't set foot in an Hermès in NYC is over three years, thank you very much Covid.). On a Friday at 11 am when it was not particularly busy, I went to the scarf department and the SA who showed me the items I asked for then proceeded to take me to every floor where I wanted to shop and got me those items as well. If she didn't know where something was, she asked another SA from that department to locate it for her. I bought scarves and scarf rings, small leather goods, desk accessories, fragrances, fashion jewelry, and even had a visit to the workshop for a question about my Picotin TGM. I had the most delightful experience, and everyone I encountered was friendly and helpful. Of course, it might have helped that I shopped across many departments, was also carrying my 24/24 29, wearing a plissé scarf, and had on my Cape Cod double tour watch, and exhibited a thorough knowledge of and passion for the brand; during an elevator ride several other SAs in the car with us mentioned that I looked like a perfect walking advertisement for Hermès...
While I was waiting for my SA to find the color choices I requested for a Calvi card holder, I observed a woman having a pleading discussion with an SA in the leather bags area. She was explaining how an important birthday was coming up for her and she wanted a special bag, and the SA was describing how the "system" works and that it was a matter of what stock was available, the discretionary nature of the regular client/SA relationship, and other subjective factors that go into who gets an offer. She then proceeded to try the "formula" approach of asking the SA to help her in the purchase of several gifts for friends who were going to also have milestone birthdays, and asked what kind of gifts she should get for them. But she exhibited no knowledge of what items might make suitable purchases, only that they shouldn't be too extravagant. The SA recommended scarves, small leather goods, fashion jewelry, etc., but reiterated that an offer would still be dependent on a variety of other factors, and would not necessarily be linked to these purchases. It was almost as if this were the alternate scene written for the "Sex and the City" episode where Samantha is trying her best to get that red Birkin...
Bottom line - your own attitude, passion for
H, and demonstrated knowledge of the brand play a big part in your shopping experience. But luck is also a huge factor. The following day (Saturday mid-day), I went into Madison with a friend and it was quite busy. We wandered around for a bit on every floor in "museum" mode, and then we went to the handbag department. There weren't a lot of bags on display, but I noticed a 24/24 35 I hadn't seen the day before, in a color/material combination I had never seen before, and trust me, I've seen plenty. I remarked upon it to my friend, we looked at it from various angles, and our excitement must have drawn the attention of another shopper, who seemed quite keen on it as well, although we quickly realized he was looking at a picture of the Herbag on his phone, and must have been confused about what this was.
I was then approached by a very nice SA who offered to take the bag out for me to look at and try on.
After more photos and modeling (and about thirty seconds of deliberation
), I said I would like to take the bag if it was available for purchase. The SA then disappeared for several minutes and eventually returned with a big box. He opened it to show me and offer me this incredible 24/24 35 in Viking Toile with leather trim in Cassis Swift.
I had not encountered this SA on Friday, and my purchase history was not a factor. But also, I don't think this bag is as highly-coveted as many others, and you can probably walk into many boutiques and simply purchase a 29/29 off the shelf if they have the stock.
I opted to ship this purchase to my home rather than carry a huge bag around the city all day. Because I live in MA, I saved about $400 on the taxes.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
