Hi everyone- I've been a longtime lurker and am embarking on a more serious Hermes journey. I've always loved the brand- since I was in college and bought a small hot pink leather elephant bookmark! I've always thought *one day* when I make it, I would treat myself to a Kelly. I'm very fortunate that I am in a financial place where I can start to seriously embark on this journey. That said, I don't think my husband fully appreciates what it means to get a Kelly (even though he would like to get one for me), and having grown up in an immigrant family that started with zero had to work their way up, he doesn't "get" the idea of buying luxury items (e.g., a $1k blanket if you can easily get one at West Elm for like $50 on sale). Regardless, given the situation, I just want to understand for myself how realistic it would be to get to my dream bag (Mini Kelly in Gold) at Madison. I've already started to work with an SA that I like and she told me to pull together my wish list and to be specific in terms of colors and leathers. Is it too aggressive for me to ask for a Mini Kelly in Gold? I also really like the Evelyne TPM (neutrals), the mini Lindies (with contrast lining.. swoon!) and Picotins... but my heart is definitely on the MK. Realistically, I could see myself spending max $10k-15k at the store this year on other categories like RTW, shoes and home (I do love their Soleil d'Hermes tableware..!) but it seems like that wouldn't be enough for a mini Kelly. Financially, we could definitely spend way more than that but it's just antithetical to my husband's personality and how he values money, and I respect that. Anyway. Would love to get your thoughts. I think I would be a very loyal customer over time, but I suppose when there's so many people willing to drop so much more money today that might not matter. Any strategies you guys have, I would welcome the input!
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It’s not a huge spend but you may get lucky. You’ll read stories of 5:1 prespend for MKII.
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Do not buy any other bags because it will delay you getting the Kelly. If your #1 choice is Kelly, stick with it. Other non-QBs are very easy (and you can even just get them from the website).
I would not bring any other bags as options to the SA, unless you want to signal your SA that you have enough money to collect many bags from H.
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If she is fresh new, wouldnt it be a bit advantageous for her to get the first quota bag easier though? Its like beginner's luck, perhaps?? I think some clients had experieced this, while it may still depend on the SAs....
The real issue is that there are so many high spenders at Madison...
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It is hard to say for sure. At Madison you are competing against people who probably spend 10k per visit and they visit regularly. Honestly, if you are set on spending a set amount you should just look into resell sites. 25k isn’t that far off from buying one second hand. If I learned anything from shopping at Madison is to enjoy the journey because absolutely nothing is guaranteed.
Is this MK ultimately the only quota bag you want? If so imo you should just go reseller. It’s not just about the spend for one bag - Hermes is looking specifically for long term clients who will not get a bag then disappear; if they realize that’s the situation, even if you spend 5:1 you may still not get what you want because again the point is to specifically hook in long term client who will continuously shop for years, sometimes if they get the future spend potential, they are happy to give out a bag at a lower prespend because they read that as future investment, so to speak. Meanwhile, someone who has a specific budget for a specific goal and will be done with it after they get the bag is the literal antithesis of what they are looking for, and it’s possible they deliberately do not give you that bag to keep you going. So if that’s the case it honestly is easier for everyone involved if you just purchase it from a trusted reseller.
A lot of us do start thinking that we’ll only want one bag…and then oops that turns out to be not the case at all. So had you not made the point re: your DH, I would have encouraged you to be open and explore the boutique route, but since that is a very important point per your post, that changed my opinion - meaning you are very unlikely to keep spending for more and more bags once you get this one because of your husband’s position, if your DH is going to not understand the spend for any bag, how will he react to the proposition that you would like to be a “very loyal customer over time”, continuously? Unless I’m misreading some parts of your post, those 2 positions just do not sound super compatible. I do not like to support the brand new reseller industry, but in your specific situation I think they are a very viable option.
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All very good points! On the topic of DH approval though, sometimes men can change their minds and get hooked on the game too. I remember when I got my first bag at Madison I told my husband maybe we can go back now and then and pick up some small items to start a relationship. He said “ok so you will go back and buy one shoe and then two months later and buy the second shoe?” Anyway, long story short, 3 years and many bags later he is a bigger hermes fan than I am. He reads up all about the history of the designs and leathers. He watches the shows and shows off his purchases to his friends. I think 90% of the clothes on his daily rotation is hermes now. I think men can just as easily become obsessed with hermes as women can.
@ntwinkly i was in the middle of writing a response but @Tykhe and @momoc said it all and are spot on!
I know sometimes people get upset when the reseller route is suggested, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with that , especially if you want a very specific bag, since nothing is guaranteed from the boutique. And the bag you want is probably one of the most asked for combos right now.
If you really want the boutique experience and are set on 10-15k spend for the year (not including the bag of course), then I would suggest adjusting your expectations to prevent future disappointment and frustration. Ask yourself this… if you spent 15k and the only bag you’re offered is a mini evie in a random blue color not on your wishlist, would you be ok with that? Or if you spent 15k and get offered… NOTHING. Would you be ok with that? Unfortunately that is the reality of the Hermes “journey.”
I know sometimes people get upset when the reseller route is suggested, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with that , especially if you want a very specific bag, since nothing is guaranteed from the boutique. And the bag you want is probably one of the most asked for combos right now.
If you really want the boutique experience and are set on 10-15k spend for the year (not including the bag of course), then I would suggest adjusting your expectations to prevent future disappointment and frustration. Ask yourself this… if you spent 15k and the only bag you’re offered is a mini evie in a random blue color not on your wishlist, would you be ok with that? Or if you spent 15k and get offered… NOTHING. Would you be ok with that? Unfortunately that is the reality of the Hermes “journey.”
Thanks everyone for your feedback. I don't mind waiting a year or two for the dream bag, and know it would take time. I just don't see us spending such a huge portion of our budget on goods from Hermes every year, even though I could see us spending a decent amount. I think this could change over time as we get more comfortable spending a lot of money, but if this annual prespend is never going to be enough, it's good to know, though it makes me a bit sad. Like I said, I love a lot of Hermes products, and I totally see myself wanting more over time - I highly doubt I would be one and done! I'd like a Birkin too and I love the other non QB bags! But if that prespend will never be enough for a MK in the gold, I guess I just want to know that before I send a wish list to the SA.
Don’t overthink this. Send the wishlist (I assume you were asked) and be very specific about what you want (not just the MKII). If it comes, it comes. Don’t ever buy anything you don’t want.
I’d just ask for the one you want and wait for it and be loyal over time. If you are consistent about going on the web, you can get non QB bags there. I wouldn’t waste an in store wish on it if you really want an MK. There’s no point in getting a bag which won’t satisfy what you really want. True long term customers are hard to find so if you can be that and be loyal to one SA, you may wait a long time but eventually you should get something you truly want.
Or just go the reseller route.
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I agree with @Crapples - go ahead and send the wishlist, why not. But just be prepared that a gold MK could take a long time…if ever. I do agree there are more factors at play than just how much you spend... for example, how much your SA likes you, what happens to get delivered to the store the day you happen to be in shopping, what other clients your SA has and if they have all recently gotten their wishlist items, if the SM is in a good mood that day etc etc...but your purchase history definitely is a thing and is an important factor. Although I think you're more likely to get lucky with a B25 or K25/28 in gold than a MK in gold, especially as a first bag...so if you're ok with that, you could let your SA know.
I agree. I think a k25 retourne or any k28 would be a much more realistic offer with a 15k prespend. I got my first k25 with a 7k prespend but my b25 came with a nearly 3:1 prespend all in fine jewelry over 2 months.
I know!! They hook you with the first offer then work you over for the next ones lol! Then you (as in me haha) start asking for limited edition bags that are push offers and just keep spending with no end in sight! I know I’m waiting for “something” but I can’t even remember what it is anymore lolol!!!