I have to admit MP was a lot friendlier and helpful to me, but their merchandise was terribly limited. They were no helpful or nice at the Wall Street Location and Madison it was crazy just to find ONE SA to assist. I do believe that IG plays a big role in their popularity and sales. I see Michael Coste always posting photos with reality stars or other asian starlets or just plain crazy rich asians - and I have no doubt it's because of their IG following - and I'm sure they get tons of perks being VIP at Hermes, too.
Hermès New York City Stores
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its interesting how everyone’s experience is so different. At MP, post Covid, DH and I could not enter even to browse, until we said, hey we shop at Madison and just wanted to look inside. The SA told us no one was available to help, so we just walked through like ghosts. The shoe area was much nicer though.
im a solid client at Madison and offers took a while bc stock was uneven. these days, it’s not easy to get RTW either. I was able to buy a jacket that I love before the RTW appt, only bc I happened to be in the store that day. my SA said there were only three units in North America. i think H still isn’t quite there in terms of it’s RTW buy. Incidentally, this season sizes run very large, so it’s hard to even estimate what to ask for.
madison has also been crazy busy. One saturday in the summer, usually a dead time, I had an appt. my sA was kept so busy with his prior appt that ran super late, I just gave up and left after about 40 minutes of waiting. (He was able to text me thst he was delayed), and I was fine with that. My point is only that it’s hard to get hold of help even if you have an SA lol.
re offers, I just try not to compare myself to others. not sure I really believe all the social media stuff
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I can understand Michael Coste and the FSH PR game because the people he meets with are typically bona fide celebs, the very very wealthy, and top-tier influencers with million+ followers (think Tamara, Chiara, Caro Daur, etc.). No offense intended to Cassie Thorpe - she seems like a lovely and engaging woman - but she is not in that echelon of fame.
This is just my hypothesis, but I think this catering to more minor influencers is part of a wider corporate strategy to broaden their target audience and appeal to the type of consumer that may buy Vuitton, Fendi, Gucci but be intimidated by Hermes. That would explain the introduction of cosmetics, the proliferation of pop-ups with lower-priced merchandise, and the choice of more hip locations for new boutiques (Williamsburg, Portland, etc.)
From my experience, the SAs at MP are more green and inexperienced than those I encountered at Madison or Wall St (although I've only shopped at those other locations pre-covid). I think MP hired younger staff on purpose, to fit in with the neighborhood and seem more approachable.
I've had the same problems as you with RTW availability for runway pieces. Sometimes it really seems like H doesn't plan to sell its seasonal runway collections and just focuses on making sweaters and t-shirt dresses. lol
A few points-
1. I'm a reasonably solid client at MP- if I am interested in a specific piece of RTW or jewelry ( a "serious" one) I text my SA with a picture and the product number. He/she then does the search ( was it ordered for the US? Did MP order it? etc. ). The they do their best to bring it in for me- not a guarantee, but a solid effort. Why? Because they know if I ask, its not just to "see if I like it and then leave" - its that I am serious about it. There are times when my SA says " I refuse to get that for you- it will look terrible" and times when I say "But if it doesn't fit/look good etc., I'll feel badly you went to the trouble to bring it in." Answer? "If its a good piece, and if its not for you, it will be great for someone." No drama, just good communication and mutual respect.
2. Many pieces of RTW are only available in Europe/Asia. I've seen much better options there, so I think that many "serious" RTW options are just not there in NY ( although, yes, better at Madison, as that store has a significantly larger budget to work with, allowing them more leeway in their ordering).
This has been my experience as well. Still, I find it frustrating to need to order everything in advance just to see it in person, for a few reasons:
- the transferred merchandise is sometimes in less than perfect condition, because it’s already been on display and tried on at other store(s).
If I’m buying a $15K leather coat, I’d like it not to already have scuffs and marks from others trying it on before me.
- I need to spend considerable time researching online what merchandise is available for this season, trying to find product codes for obscure items
- Getting items transferred sometimes involves some politics and stores might refuse to transfer something if they want to keep the item for their clientele
- There is more of an expectation to buy the item when I still have no idea how the fit runs, how it will look on my body, etc. There are items I *might* like to try, but I hesitate to ask for them because I don’t want to waste my SA’s time.
This is just my opinion, but this system removes the spontaneity and fun from shopping; it’s like a mail order system. I love discovering new pieces and just admiring their craftsmanship when I visit a store in person, but MP’s inventory doesn’t always allow this.
I visited NYC in June and just want to browse the MP boutique because I heard so many good things about it. The store is nice, the inventory was not impressive. They took walk-ins that day and was not looking so busy. The greeter guy is very nice (and good looking lol) and told me he let someone know and I will be helped soon. I walked around the entire boutique couple of rounds, no helps coming. There were nothing I have my eyes on and i decided to leave. Greeter guy learned that I'm visiting and pointed several cafes, restaurants for recommendation. A nice experience at the door but nothing else. Maybe I caught a empty inventory day of them. 
Totally agree. In terms of big influencer, remember the whole fiasco of Tamara's entire collection got stolen and then how quickly her BF was able to get her two (? I can't remember exactly) H QB bags to cheer her up?
We mortals can't expect to have special treatment at all lol
I always have appointments at MP, and even then my average wait time after being let in is 20 minutes before being approached by my SA. sometimes he's in the back or sometimes he's assisting another client that ran over. as is everything with H, patience is key lolI visited NYC in June and just want to browse the MP boutique because I heard so many good things about it. The store is nice, the inventory was not impressive. They took walk-ins that day and was not looking so busy. The greeter guy is very nice (and good looking lol) and told me he let someone know and I will be helped soon. I walked around the entire boutique couple of rounds, no helps coming. There were nothing I have my eyes on and i decided to leave. Greeter guy learned that I'm visiting and pointed several cafes, restaurants for recommendation. A nice experience at the door but nothing else. Maybe I caught a empty inventory day of them.
If I see something here on a thread, I might ask my SA for it, but that’s probably the most I will do. for the most part, my SA will let me know to come in if he sees something I will like, or I rely on serendipity. Of course I miss a lot of stuff, but I don’t make myself crazy either lol.
I don't think MP keeps much of their inventory on display. It works well for me because window shopping makes me dizzy but I can understand how it's not great if you just want to browse!I visited NYC in June and just want to browse the MP boutique because I heard so many good things about it. The store is nice, the inventory was not impressive. They took walk-ins that day and was not looking so busy. The greeter guy is very nice (and good looking lol) and told me he let someone know and I will be helped soon. I walked around the entire boutique couple of rounds, no helps coming. There were nothing I have my eyes on and i decided to leave. Greeter guy learned that I'm visiting and pointed several cafes, restaurants for recommendation. A nice experience at the door but nothing else. Maybe I caught a empty inventory day of them.
I usually budget 1.5 hours when I go there. 30 min to wait for my SA and we spend about an hour together. Sorry you didn't have a good experience! They're not really in the tourist business because there are so many locals and it's a smaller store (compared to Madison).
Magnolia is beautiful! Which hardware does yours have?☺️
Phw! And def feel it works best with the color
Does anyone know how many bag deliveries Madison usually gets per week, and are all bags offered/sold the same day the delivery comes in?