I arrived just before 2:30 pm on Friday afternoon at the Meatpacking boutique, but the door was locked and the store looked completely empty from the outside. I texted my SA that I had arrived and she let me know that she was still finishing up her prior appointment, but that someone would let me in shortly. Probably the worst day to be left outside due to Friday's tropical storm; good thing I was dressed for the torrential downpour in a raincoat and rubber boots.
I was escorted to the handbag section where I was instructed to wait while my SA finished up with her other clients, but since no one appeared to be downstairs, I decided to walk around and browse. They've heavily restocked across all categories, with a plethora of new season SLGs, bracelets, and other accessories all on the ground floor. The handbag section was also refreshed with fun summer colors. I spotted a Rouge Tomate Jypsiere, Rouge Tomate Lindy, a Rose Extreme Roulis, Anemone Evelyne, Malachite Evelyne, Malachite GP, Jaune Ambre GP, Lime Picotin, Lime Lindy, among others. There were tons of exotic wallets on display, from croc to ostrich (Vert Titien!), in addition to several new season mini wallets and other small items.
Unfortunately, I had to wait about 30 minutes before even catching a glimpse of my SA. She apologized for the delay and let me know that her previous appointment had backed her up significantly because the clients were trying to pay in cash, which is currently not being accepted at the store due to the pandemic (heads up!), and that they were having issues with their credit cards. As a result, I had to stay downstairs rather than move upstairs to the station that was originally prepared for me. That was kind of disappointing as I wanted to look at shoes and RTW, but this quickly changed to shock when she carried the items I came to pick up over to me and proceeded to say "I do have something else on hold for you. I wanted to surprise you, but I'll tell you now that it's on your list." It was a Togo B25 Bambou GHW!
By this point as well, around 45 minutes after my originally scheduled time, the store had quickly filled up and it appeared like every station upstairs was at capacity, as well as all other stations downstairs. Clients were being shown items by the equestrian area, the scarves section, the counter by the cashier, and the island with lipsticks. This made the surprise a little awkward, because I felt like the bag was being revealed in such secrecy and I couldn't admire it freely and openly. The whole process felt somewhat rushed, and if it weren't an item on my wish list, I would've wanted to spend more time admiring the bag for sure. The bag was quickly put back into its dustbag and stashed away. Even when we went to match potential twillies to it, the bag was hidden the entire time with only its handles and the sangles exposed purely to provide a backdrop for the twillies I was choosing between.
Sad to say that she wasn't able to show me items other than what I had asked her to source during quarantine, and had to shuffle back and forth between her previous clients and me. I actually left the store at 4:00 pm, surprisingly before they did, which means that their hour-long appointment (1:30 pm) continued on for an additional 1.5 hours, and ate into mine (2:30 pm), as well as the other client who came after me. By 3:30 pm, she had to run between them, myself, and her 3:30. My actual interaction with her lasted about 10 minutes - kind of a bummer - but I told her not to worry about me and do her thing. Plus, I was so thrilled about the bag! What are the chances that my first quota bag at a US store is exactly what I asked for? A B25 in a newly revived color, no less.
She also let me know that only two other 25s arrived with this last delivery, specifically a B25 Noir GHW and a K25 Retourne Rose Pourpre PHW. Variations of these were on my list (B25 Noir RGHW and B25 Rose Pourpre PHW) but since they weren't exact matches, she snatched up the Bambou for me right away. She also alluded to the unusual fact that I was able to get a B25 so soon after becoming a client since I had only shopped with her once before, but stated that she wanted to surprise me because she felt like we really bonded over quarantine. Anyway, she asked what I wanted next and told me to text her an updated wish list before I left the store. She also mentioned that she wanted to get me a Kelly Danse, a Kelly Ado, and a Mini Lindy.
Overall, it was definitely far from the quiet, VIP experience I was expecting with reduced foot traffic during the appointment-only phase of reopening. The store honestly felt as full as it would've during a regular Friday afternoon pre-pandemic, and wasn't reminiscent of my own luxury experience here a few months ago. In addition, every single client appeared to bring a friend / partner with them, which made the store seem even busier. SAs seemed quite frantic, and I often spotted clients standing outside in the rain, knocking on the door, and waiting to be let in for minutes at a time. Other clients spotted them too, and you could sense the awkward eye contact that would occur between them, as one motioned to bet let in, and the other shrugged uncomfortably, unsure whether they were allowed to open the door to others... The store staff just seemed overworked, frustrated, and frazzled. For example, I was accidentally double charged for the vest I purchased, they forgot the to give me the box for my new twilly, and they couldn't locate a box for a gift I had transferred in, so they had to scramble to find an appropriate box for quite some time. I wasn't upset about any of this, but you could see that they felt rushed and pressed for time.
My SA let me know that the schedule has been jam-packed since reopening, with back-to-back appointments across all SAs, and that she has been frantically trying to service all her clients despite the reduced hours and rotating schedule, and has therefore not been able to maintain the standard of service she would like to. Messages are not responded to, and the 1-on-1 time she has during appointments feels hurried and chaotic. I definitely felt her frustration at my appointment, but I am also a super chill client. We have great rapport so of course I was compassionate about the situation, just wish we could've had more time to catch up in peace because I genuinely wanted to hang out with her too. I do think other clients would not have been as happy about the experience though, so hopefully they are able to improve scheduling conflicts and overages as they adjust to this new world!
), and honestly to see the all other H employees there that day. Even though you have heard they are OK, it was just so good to actually see and say hello to them- very reassuring to me ( a big worrier!). Everyone was so happy to be back and seeing people again, it gave the place a lovely vibe. And although its great, and I love the hustle and bustle, its can also be really nice NOT to have someone looking over your shoulder at anything you are looking at or trying on, and giving you the LOOK. Plus does make you focus.
