Hermès New York City Stores
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Thank you! Just heard the same thing from my SA today. She thought very limited stock.
Hi All! Long time lurker looking for advice. Recently decided that my heart is set on a Mini Kelly 
Went to the Madison shop recently and spoke to a SA who said basically I can wait 2-3 years OR increase my purchase history and would probably have to wait shorter (closer ~1 year) for the bag to be available. Is this on par with what others have experienced?
Kind of wanted to hop on here to see if people have been offered a bag on their wish list simply by waiting.
Went to the Madison shop recently and spoke to a SA who said basically I can wait 2-3 years OR increase my purchase history and would probably have to wait shorter (closer ~1 year) for the bag to be available. Is this on par with what others have experienced?
Kind of wanted to hop on here to see if people have been offered a bag on their wish list simply by waiting.
Not my experience. You could try Paris lottery for a mini kelly without any prespend/profile.
ETA: if you don’t love other H boutique offerings in RTW, home, etc, I suggest authenticated reseller as
less expensive in the end
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Experiences vary, but coming in and saying you want a mini K and then never showing up again...very unlikely you get an offer. Not saying that's your plan, but it would not be the best oneHi All! Long time lurker looking for advice. Recently decided that my heart is set on a Mini Kelly
Went to the Madison shop recently and spoke to a SA who said basically I can wait 2-3 years OR increase my purchase history and would probably have to wait shorter (closer ~1 year) for the bag to be available. Is this on par with what others have experienced?
Kind of wanted to hop on here to see if people have been offered a bag on their wish list simply by waiting.
If I were you (I sense you don't want to come in constantly and pour money into H on whatever which is FINE, neither do I LOL), I'd come in fairly often, buy what you love, and listen to the SA on what they expect. You can always change SAs if you aren't happy. Unfortunately Madison is really competitive so when hot bags come in, it is a bit about who is top of mind. This has created some bluntness in SAs which is probably good, creates clarity
Thank you both! this is helpful! She was definitely blunt, but I appreciate her cutting out the BS LOL
I don't mind purchasing a few things here and there over the next year or so, but I can't see myself purchasing ≥1:1 unless I truly find items that I love...
I created my wishlist with her, then later asked for her contact info to make potential future purchases with her. Do you think this was a good person to create my H relationship with?
I don't mind purchasing a few things here and there over the next year or so, but I can't see myself purchasing ≥1:1 unless I truly find items that I love...
I created my wishlist with her, then later asked for her contact info to make potential future purchases with her. Do you think this was a good person to create my H relationship with?
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If you’re not ready to spend major $$$ you should go the reseller route. You’re not going to get a MK as a first offer, especially from a store like Madison, without a high spend.Hi All! Long time lurker looking for advice. Recently decided that my heart is set on a Mini Kelly
Went to the Madison shop recently and spoke to a SA who said basically I can wait 2-3 years OR increase my purchase history and would probably have to wait shorter (closer ~1 year) for the bag to be available. Is this on par with what others have experienced?
Kind of wanted to hop on here to see if people have been offered a bag on their wish list simply by waiting.
And the days of getting a Birkin or Kelly in American simply by waiting are sadly over.
Since you appreciate bluntness, I will try to be blunt too: the sad truth is that if, say, the specific Mini Kelly spec you want are going for 30k on the reseller market, then there is just no way a new client will be able to get one straight from the store by doing anything less than that spend (meaning at least 2:1), because otherwise *they wouldn’t be selling at that price at resellers*. This isn’t just a personal opinion, it’s literally how the math and $$$ works. So your expectation should be to take whatever the reseller prices are and be prepared to go higher than that (because resellers often are long and established clients; some have a whole network of buyers that work at a level of business efficiency you couldn’t achieve) for your spend, especially if you are a new client. Plus be prepared to wait patiently because others with higher spend power and history will be around to want a bag as desirable as Mini Kelly before you. If you spend some amount then stop, and someone comes by and spends 5x that (just a random example number but plenty Hermes clients who are capable of doing that if not more) then there is a non-zero chance you get pushed down the line. And Hermes, especially for a store like Madison, has no shortage of that type of clients. If this is a less popular bag I can see the potential for hope, but for a Mini Kelly, at least in the current market, it will never have trouble finding a buyer. If all this doesn’t sound like something you want to do, honestly going reseller is the cheaper way, as much as we hate that is the case…
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Sure why not. You should shop with whomever you feel comfortable for sporadic purchases like that. But, she basically gave you the very realistic warning that the mini K was not in the cards. No matter who you shop with, that fact will not change. An SA these days does not have the time or incentive to cultivate a H relationship* with an occasional customer who basically only wants a coveted QB. This is because the SAs have to meet enormous sales goals, and they simply don’t need another client whose main focus is spend the minimum to get a bag. They know that when that client gets the bag, she disappears.
IMO when an SA says 2-3 years, this means never. As in, when I was going down the elevator in the old H Madison to see a 30B offer, I was carrying a 30B. A man entered the elevator and pointed to my bag and asked another SA how long would it take to get one of those. She said straight out 2 years. While she implied that there was a waiting list, she really said this to end the conversation.
It’s theoretically possible that you could get a less coveted QB with less than 1:1, but I seriously doubt a mini K. Sought after QBs have become items to reward long standing, high spending clients that are an SA’s bread and butter. An SA has zero incentive to go to bat with her SM and push one of those clients aside to accommodate an occasional customer. By the way, in the US, there is no official linked selling. It’s just an unofficial guideline used here to navigate heightened demand and reduced supply.
ETA: agree 100% with @momoc
* defining H relationship as a client SA relationship for the purpose of a QB
(as per the majority of the thread)
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Hi - I have just started my H journey at Madison and am looking for B30 for my first QB. Does anybody have any idea about the process of allocating QB inventory to each SAs? After such allocation, I guess each SA has a discretion on which clients receive the QB offer subject to the SM's approval, which is why experiences including spend thread vary.
All I know (From what SAs have told me) is that leather SAs have a bit of an advantage, and SM approval is not always predictable. (Having said that, my SA is not in leather, and I have had some nice offers) Good luck and happy shopping
I don’t get the impression that the SA exercises discretion and the SM simply signs off. From what I understand, the SM is substantially more involved, and there will be a discussion as to which client in an SA’s roster is best suited to an offer. An SA will not put a client forward without a strong sense that the client will be approved. These are simply my impressions that I’ve gleaned from conversations with different SAs, and ymmv.
ETA : Even if your SA knows you would like a gold B30, that SA needs to be authorized to offer that specific bag. Some posts in this thread or the Paris thread take lack of offers personally or complain re deception or games, but the SAs are kind of caught between a rock and a hard place, (being the client and the SM, not to mention a less than transparent corporate policy).
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I am an occasional client at Madison for the last three years ..and supposedly on a wishlist. I have not got offered anything except for an Evelyn 29 which I refused. I have spent some money there (reasonable) for some of the items not available in my home store. I just found out my SA has left
so will be in a new relationship with an SA.Thank you so much! The business card I received only says "Sales Specialist," so I will ask her which department she is in. Also, since my SA is candid, I will frankly ask her how often she will receive the QB inventory and the process of offering them as well as the estimated waiting period.All I know (From what SAs have told me) is that leather SAs have a bit of an advantage, and SM approval is not always predictable. (Having said that, my SA is not in leather, and I have had some nice offers) Good luck and happy shopping
Also, thank you for sharing your impression. As she often says I don't need to buy anything that I don't really want just for getting QB offer, I haven't spent much so far (maybe around 0.8:1), but I thought it is not a good strategy to completely rely on her remarks if your impression is right.
No SA wants their clients to buy simply for the same of an offer. Simply buy what you love. however, if as you write, you don’t see yourself spending greater than 1:1, your SA has already told you a mini k is unlikely. I would be very surprised if she gives you a concrete answer, but pls do update the thread with any new info.
@Bereal , I’m so sorry your SA left, but glad that you were able to SO beforehand.
ETA: correction from @Bereal below
ETA: I would imagine that if an SA nominates a client and is rejected too many times, that does not reflect well on the SA.
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