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#592
Ok so here's my most recent experience at Madison. I've been a few times over the past couple of years but always felt that the store was cold and snobby. I've met nice SA's in the home section, but leathers gets busy and the SA's don't bother greeting you. TBH I don't have a specific bag, color, etc. that I'm looking for. I'm kind of the type who needs to see it in person to know if I'll love it or not- photos don't do H colors any justice. And we all know H isn't going to bring out the entire stockroom for you to choose from.

I went to Madison on Monday evening assuming they'd have nothing after the weekend. The displays had tons of eye candy (my first indication that maybe their stock room is full of goodies). I wandered through the various floors, tried looking for belt straps (SA seemed eager to get rid of me, just wanted me to look at what's on display and basically serve myself), browsed the leather department, but all the SA's were busy and avoided acknowledging me in any way, so I went back up to look at jewelry and watches (DH's watch was stolen so I wanted to browse for a replacement).

A young male SA greeted me and complimented me on my Rouge Casaque K28. We struck up a really normal conversation. This was honestly the first time I ever felt like I was bonding with a SA. I looked at watches and explained about my DH's watch, and the SA was not pushy at all, which I appreciate. We probably spent 20 minutes chatting about H and personal things. If I weren't married, and he didn't have a gf we'd probably make a good couple lol. He asked me what is the next item I'm looking for- I saw this an opportunity to ask for a B/K/C but I didn't want to ask for anything. I sighed and replied how I don't like to give a wishlist because H constantly comes out with beautiful things, and I just don't know what I'd really want. We chatted more, and he encouraged me to check out the new shoe salon upstairs and accompanied me up. I asked for his card so next time my DH and I can come together to look at watches.

We parted ways in the shoe salon, and I met a lovely young female SA who again complimented me on my bag. I tried on a few shoes, and I was undecided on a pair because they looked more casual than I had anticipated and mentioned my workplace. That's when we started to hit it off- turns out she is an alum of a similar institution so we chatted about her experience. I decided on a pair of shoes and asked if I can shop around and pay for everything at once. I wanted to try leathers again. She could normally move around departments, but this late in the evening she was the only SA in shoes and had to stay there. So I went down, and the leather department was emptier but no available SA's were around, so I quit and went back upstairs to pay for my shoes. I mentioned to her how I get that it's late and the leather department is wrapping up. She felt bad and asked if I knew what I was looking for- again, I saw an opportunity to ask for a bag but played it off and told her it's ok, I'll come back, will you be available tomorrow to help me? She said yes.

Tuesday evening rolls around, and I call the store to make sure she is there. I tell her I'll stop by within the hour. We head directly to leathers, and I try on some bags that were on display. They have a gorgeous wall of Bleu Hydra bags, and I ask if there are any bags in that color not on display (my way of hinting to B/K/C). She explained no because when they do a color wall, they put it all out there. Ok, we talk about the bags on display, and I eventually tell her I'm just not sure if I'd prefer the Roulis (which I genuinely love and would like one day) or a C. She asked if that's what I'm looking for. YES. She says she'll check what she has in the back.

I continue drooling over the Roulis in the display because it really is gorgeous, but I just wish it was easier to double the strap. Probably waited for 5-10 minutes. I see her come out and ask her colleagues about showing me a C on the floor. They tell her to go to a room upstairs (people must be getting lucky viewing bags downstairs). We go to a room on the 2nd floor, and in the elevator she tells me she doesn't have anything in a larger size but has a colorful mini (she knows I want bright colors). When she told me the colors, I was a little disappointed...in the room when she unveiled the bag, I was pleasantly surprised. TBH, I love Bleu Hydra more, but this is a C...so I snap a photo for DH and jump on the phone to ask what he prefers. He likes both, but he knows how rare it is to get a C. So that's what I chose. A mini C in Bleu Paon with Menthe interior and enamel hardware being shipped my way.
 
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#593
stephc005 said:
...I continue drooling over the Roulis in the display because it really is gorgeous, but I just wish it was easier to double the strap. Probably waited for 5-10 minutes. I see her come out and ask her colleagues about showing me a C on the floor. They tell her to go to a room upstairs (people must be getting lucky viewing bags downstairs). We go to a room on the 2nd floor, and in the elevator she tells me she doesn't have anything in a larger size but has a colorful mini (she knows I want bright colors). When she told me the colors, I was a little disappointed...in the room when she unveiled the bag, I was pleasantly surprised. TBH, I love Bleu Hydra more, but this is a C...so I snap a photo for DH and jump on the phone to ask what he prefers. He likes both, but he knows how rare it is to get a C. So that's what I chose. A mini C in Bleu Paon with Menthe interior and enamel hardware being shipped my way.
Click to expand...

Awesome!!! Congratulations!!!
 
#594
stephc005 said:
Ok so here's my most recent experience at Madison. I've been a few times over the past couple of years but always felt that the store was cold and snobby. I've met nice SA's in the home section, but leathers gets busy and the SA's don't bother greeting you. TBH I don't have a specific bag, color, etc. that I'm looking for. I'm kind of the type who needs to see it in person to know if I'll love it or not- photos don't do H colors any justice. And we all know H isn't going to bring out the entire stockroom for you to choose from.

I went to Madison on Monday evening assuming they'd have nothing after the weekend. The displays had tons of eye candy (my first indication that maybe their stock room is full of goodies). I wandered through the various floors, tried looking for belt straps (SA seemed eager to get rid of me, just wanted me to look at what's on display and basically serve myself), browsed the leather department, but all the SA's were busy and avoided acknowledging me in any way, so I went back up to look at jewelry and watches (DH's watch was stolen so I wanted to browse for a replacement).

A young male SA greeted me and complimented me on my Rouge Casaque K28. We struck up a really normal conversation. This was honestly the first time I ever felt like I was bonding with a SA. I looked at watches and explained about my DH's watch, and the SA was not pushy at all, which I appreciate. We probably spent 20 minutes chatting about H and personal things. If I weren't married, and he didn't have a gf we'd probably make a good couple lol. He asked me what is the next item I'm looking for- I saw this an opportunity to ask for a B/K/C but I didn't want to ask for anything. I sighed and replied how I don't like to give a wishlist because H constantly comes out with beautiful things, and I just don't know what I'd really want. We chatted more, and he encouraged me to check out the new shoe salon upstairs and accompanied me up. I asked for his card so next time my DH and I can come together to look at watches.

We parted ways in the shoe salon, and I met a lovely young female SA who again complimented me on my bag. I tried on a few shoes, and I was undecided on a pair because they looked more casual than I had anticipated and mentioned my workplace. That's when we started to hit it off- turns out she is an alum of a similar institution so we chatted about her experience. I decided on a pair of shoes and asked if I can shop around and pay for everything at once. I wanted to try leathers again. She could normally move around departments, but this late in the evening she was the only SA in shoes and had to stay there. So I went down, and the leather department was emptier but no available SA's were around, so I quit and went back upstairs to pay for my shoes. I mentioned to her how I get that it's late and the leather department is wrapping up. She felt bad and asked if I knew what I was looking for- again, I saw an opportunity to ask for a bag but played it off and told her it's ok, I'll come back, will you be available tomorrow to help me? She said yes.

Tuesday evening rolls around, and I call the store to make sure she is there. I tell her I'll stop by within the hour. We head directly to leathers, and I try on some bags that were on display. They have a gorgeous wall of Bleu Hydra bags, and I ask if there are any bags in that color not on display (my way of hinting to B/K/C). She explained no because when they do a color wall, they put it all out there. Ok, we talk about the bags on display, and I eventually tell her I'm just not sure if I'd prefer the Roulis (which I genuinely love and would like one day) or a C. She asked if that's what I'm looking for. YES. She says she'll check what she has in the back.

I continue drooling over the Roulis in the display because it really is gorgeous, but I just wish it was easier to double the strap. Probably waited for 5-10 minutes. I see her come out and ask her colleagues about showing me a C on the floor. They tell her to go to a room upstairs (people must be getting lucky viewing bags downstairs). We go to a room on the 2nd floor, and in the elevator she tells me she doesn't have anything in a larger size but has a colorful mini (she knows I want bright colors). When she told me the colors, I was a little disappointed...in the room when she unveiled the bag, I was pleasantly surprised. TBH, I love Bleu Hydra more, but this is a C...so I snap a photo for DH and jump on the phone to ask what he prefers. He likes both, but he knows how rare it is to get a C. So that's what I chose. A mini C in Bleu Paon with Menthe interior and enamel hardware being shipped my way.
Click to expand...

Wow! That sounds divine! And how lucky to score a C! Congrats!
 
#595
stephc005 said:
Ok so here's my most recent experience at Madison. I've been a few times over the past couple of years but always felt that the store was cold and snobby. I've met nice SA's in the home section, but leathers gets busy and the SA's don't bother greeting you. TBH I don't have a specific bag, color, etc. that I'm looking for. I'm kind of the type who needs to see it in person to know if I'll love it or not- photos don't do H colors any justice. And we all know H isn't going to bring out the entire stockroom for you to choose from.

I went to Madison on Monday evening assuming they'd have nothing after the weekend. The displays had tons of eye candy (my first indication that maybe their stock room is full of goodies). I wandered through the various floors, tried looking for belt straps (SA seemed eager to get rid of me, just wanted me to look at what's on display and basically serve myself), browsed the leather department, but all the SA's were busy and avoided acknowledging me in any way, so I went back up to look at jewelry and watches (DH's watch was stolen so I wanted to browse for a replacement).

A young male SA greeted me and complimented me on my Rouge Casaque K28. We struck up a really normal conversation. This was honestly the first time I ever felt like I was bonding with a SA. I looked at watches and explained about my DH's watch, and the SA was not pushy at all, which I appreciate. We probably spent 20 minutes chatting about H and personal things. If I weren't married, and he didn't have a gf we'd probably make a good couple lol. He asked me what is the next item I'm looking for- I saw this an opportunity to ask for a B/K/C but I didn't want to ask for anything. I sighed and replied how I don't like to give a wishlist because H constantly comes out with beautiful things, and I just don't know what I'd really want. We chatted more, and he encouraged me to check out the new shoe salon upstairs and accompanied me up. I asked for his card so next time my DH and I can come together to look at watches.

We parted ways in the shoe salon, and I met a lovely young female SA who again complimented me on my bag. I tried on a few shoes, and I was undecided on a pair because they looked more casual than I had anticipated and mentioned my workplace. That's when we started to hit it off- turns out she is an alum of a similar institution so we chatted about her experience. I decided on a pair of shoes and asked if I can shop around and pay for everything at once. I wanted to try leathers again. She could normally move around departments, but this late in the evening she was the only SA in shoes and had to stay there. So I went down, and the leather department was emptier but no available SA's were around, so I quit and went back upstairs to pay for my shoes. I mentioned to her how I get that it's late and the leather department is wrapping up. She felt bad and asked if I knew what I was looking for- again, I saw an opportunity to ask for a bag but played it off and told her it's ok, I'll come back, will you be available tomorrow to help me? She said yes.

Tuesday evening rolls around, and I call the store to make sure she is there. I tell her I'll stop by within the hour. We head directly to leathers, and I try on some bags that were on display. They have a gorgeous wall of Bleu Hydra bags, and I ask if there are any bags in that color not on display (my way of hinting to B/K/C). She explained no because when they do a color wall, they put it all out there. Ok, we talk about the bags on display, and I eventually tell her I'm just not sure if I'd prefer the Roulis (which I genuinely love and would like one day) or a C. She asked if that's what I'm looking for. YES. She says she'll check what she has in the back.

I continue drooling over the Roulis in the display because it really is gorgeous, but I just wish it was easier to double the strap. Probably waited for 5-10 minutes. I see her come out and ask her colleagues about showing me a C on the floor. They tell her to go to a room upstairs (people must be getting lucky viewing bags downstairs). We go to a room on the 2nd floor, and in the elevator she tells me she doesn't have anything in a larger size but has a colorful mini (she knows I want bright colors). When she told me the colors, I was a little disappointed...in the room when she unveiled the bag, I was pleasantly surprised. TBH, I love Bleu Hydra more, but this is a C...so I snap a photo for DH and jump on the phone to ask what he prefers. He likes both, but he knows how rare it is to get a C. So that's what I chose. A mini C in Bleu Paon with Menthe interior and enamel hardware being shipped my way.
Click to expand...
Wow congrats!!! Pictures please! :)
 
#596
stephc005 said:
Ok so here's my most recent experience at Madison. I've been a few times over the past couple of years but always felt that the store was cold and snobby. I've met nice SA's in the home section, but leathers gets busy and the SA's don't bother greeting you. TBH I don't have a specific bag, color, etc. that I'm looking for. I'm kind of the type who needs to see it in person to know if I'll love it or not- photos don't do H colors any justice. And we all know H isn't going to bring out the entire stockroom for you to choose from.

I went to Madison on Monday evening assuming they'd have nothing after the weekend. The displays had tons of eye candy (my first indication that maybe their stock room is full of goodies). I wandered through the various floors, tried looking for belt straps (SA seemed eager to get rid of me, just wanted me to look at what's on display and basically serve myself), browsed the leather department, but all the SA's were busy and avoided acknowledging me in any way, so I went back up to look at jewelry and watches (DH's watch was stolen so I wanted to browse for a replacement).

A young male SA greeted me and complimented me on my Rouge Casaque K28. We struck up a really normal conversation. This was honestly the first time I ever felt like I was bonding with a SA. I looked at watches and explained about my DH's watch, and the SA was not pushy at all, which I appreciate. We probably spent 20 minutes chatting about H and personal things. If I weren't married, and he didn't have a gf we'd probably make a good couple lol. He asked me what is the next item I'm looking for- I saw this an opportunity to ask for a B/K/C but I didn't want to ask for anything. I sighed and replied how I don't like to give a wishlist because H constantly comes out with beautiful things, and I just don't know what I'd really want. We chatted more, and he encouraged me to check out the new shoe salon upstairs and accompanied me up. I asked for his card so next time my DH and I can come together to look at watches.

We parted ways in the shoe salon, and I met a lovely young female SA who again complimented me on my bag. I tried on a few shoes, and I was undecided on a pair because they looked more casual than I had anticipated and mentioned my workplace. That's when we started to hit it off- turns out she is an alum of a similar institution so we chatted about her experience. I decided on a pair of shoes and asked if I can shop around and pay for everything at once. I wanted to try leathers again. She could normally move around departments, but this late in the evening she was the only SA in shoes and had to stay there. So I went down, and the leather department was emptier but no available SA's were around, so I quit and went back upstairs to pay for my shoes. I mentioned to her how I get that it's late and the leather department is wrapping up. She felt bad and asked if I knew what I was looking for- again, I saw an opportunity to ask for a bag but played it off and told her it's ok, I'll come back, will you be available tomorrow to help me? She said yes.

Tuesday evening rolls around, and I call the store to make sure she is there. I tell her I'll stop by within the hour. We head directly to leathers, and I try on some bags that were on display. They have a gorgeous wall of Bleu Hydra bags, and I ask if there are any bags in that color not on display (my way of hinting to B/K/C). She explained no because when they do a color wall, they put it all out there. Ok, we talk about the bags on display, and I eventually tell her I'm just not sure if I'd prefer the Roulis (which I genuinely love and would like one day) or a C. She asked if that's what I'm looking for. YES. She says she'll check what she has in the back.

I continue drooling over the Roulis in the display because it really is gorgeous, but I just wish it was easier to double the strap. Probably waited for 5-10 minutes. I see her come out and ask her colleagues about showing me a C on the floor. They tell her to go to a room upstairs (people must be getting lucky viewing bags downstairs). We go to a room on the 2nd floor, and in the elevator she tells me she doesn't have anything in a larger size but has a colorful mini (she knows I want bright colors). When she told me the colors, I was a little disappointed...in the room when she unveiled the bag, I was pleasantly surprised. TBH, I love Bleu Hydra more, but this is a C...so I snap a photo for DH and jump on the phone to ask what he prefers. He likes both, but he knows how rare it is to get a C. So that's what I chose. A mini C in Bleu Paon with Menthe interior and enamel hardware being shipped my way.
Click to expand...
Congrats
Hold on tight to this new found angel
Lol
 
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#597
Thanks everyone! Hope my experience helps anyone seeking to buy a bag as a walk in/non-local. My thoughts:
  • I think Madison always has goodies in the back, but it's still hard as a walk in.
  • I think like any other store they really like locals more. I was asked if I live in NY, where I bought my K, if I visit often, etc. I made it a point to the watch SA that my former SA moved, so I think he interpreted it as an opportunity to win a loyal client.
  • I think if I directly asked for a bag (no matter if it was in leathers or another department), I would have been shot down. Making conversation is what helped me. I don't think my shoe purchase mattered because 800 bucks is like pennies to H lol.
  • I don't think wearing or carrying H matters all that much because I was still ignored despite wearing a K, but it helped make initial conversation in other departments.
  • I was dressed very casually- I know in the Paris thread, it's very common to want to know how people dressed and whether it correlated to their success.
 
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#598
I know this all quite really depends and it sounds from this thread and a few others I've browsed through that your experience at Madison really depends on luck, but wanted to get some thoughts here.

I am new to H, and would love to start building a relationship with an SA in the hopes of eventually getting a chance at a neutral B or K - I know general advice is that if there is a very specific combo I am looking for, I should just go the reseller route. I do think there are quite a few things I'd like to get from H that aren't the B or K, but probably not more than 20K worth of things (and certainly not in the span of a year!). Is Madison one of the stores where the client list is just so deep that unless I spend more than that amount, I'll never get the chance for a b or k? I could see myself buying other goodies after getting a b or k as I continue collecting in earnest, but if Madison tends to have a high bar for "pre-spend", then I might just go reseller route first.

Other things that might be helpful to know - I do live in the city but work long hours, so I could never go to the store on a weekday. I'd only be able to go on weekends when its busier and SAs have less time to chat.

TIA!!



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