Totally feel the same way and couldn't have said it better. I never did that in my youth and doubt I would start now. Especially since if I was in Paris it would be on holiday and as much as I love H I would NEVER subject myself to that. Nothing about that says luxury to me. I'd rather buy at home store and shop elsewhere in Paris or at least at another H location. Life is too short for that sort of nonsense IMO.
Lining up for Hermes - thoughts, rants, raves
- Thread starter mistikat
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Totally feel the same way and couldn't have said it better. I never did that in my youth and doubt I would start now. Especially since if I was in Paris it would be on holiday and as much as I love H I would NEVER subject myself to that. Nothing about that says luxury to me. I'd rather buy at home store and shop elsewhere in Paris or at least at another H location. Life is too short for that sort of nonsense IMO.
Totally agree.
I'll never beg to spend money in a shop and spending holiday time in Paris queuing for a bag is a thing I don't understand. But to each his own.
Very sound advice. My "home" store is in San Francisco and I live on the east coast.
I have never ever said that others should be without!!
I have not been to the sales in US and I don't know what laws you have there. I was merely pointing out the laws that apply in the EU in reference to discussions that have been in this thread about ehical issues regarding purchasing a spot. And no it is not only a few bucks, it is quite a lot of money that some of them makes.
I am wondering this as well. There must be some sort of safety issues that should be brought up. At the corner of Cartier opposite the front entrance there are always two armed guards with large guns stationed there. This line, line sitters and commotion must cause some sort of unnecessary work for them.
I am wondering if there will be something that will happen similar to what happens in San Francisco. Lately I have been noticing notices posted on store doors that basically say no loitering or camping out (aka targeted to the homeless) at specified hours (aka every hour) and that if people are found there then they will be removed by the police arrested etc for trespassing.
As I said, I'm not all that young. I actually disagree that that many people over 40 are technologically illiterate. I work in tech, in a fast-moving space, and most of my contemporaries in senior positions are late 30s to 60ish. I'm quite sure most H customers could negotiate an online system, and if they ARE "very mature", would prefer that to staying overnight on the street.
Worst case we can all have our grandkids handle it for us
I also agree that most people over 40 are tech/smartphone-savvy!!! Rather a rash generalisation to say otherwise!As I said, I'm not all that young. I actually disagree that that many people over 40 are technologically illiterate. I work in tech, in a fast-moving space, and most of my contemporaries in senior positions are late 30s to 60ish. I'm quite sure most H customers could negotiate an online system, and if they ARE "very mature", would prefer that to staying overnight on the street.
Worst case we can all have our grandkids handle it for us
I wish that people who don't have a relationship with an SA but do have a sale history were able to make an appt in advance. I wouldn't mind waiting in line for a few hours as long as I was guaranteed an spot, even if it were for a future day
If some people think Q is silly, some people may think to build up a relationship with an SA is another silly. Both are the same form of begging to buy with my hard earned money in my opinion. Some people would choose Q as it's a relatively short process to get a yes/no instead of trying to established a relationship with an SA with no confirm yes/no. And pray hard the SA is not leaving the company before the dream bag is arrived 
No right or wrong in playing H games. Just respect and empathize with each other choice.
No right or wrong in playing H games. Just respect and empathize with each other choice.If some people think Q is silly, some people may think to build up a relationship with an SA is another silly. Both are the same form of begging to buy with my hard earned money in my opinion. Some people would choose Q as it's a relatively short process to get a yes/no instead of trying to established a relationship with an SA with no confirm yes/no. And pray hard the SA is not leaving the company before the dream bag is arrived
I think it is a question about odds, which strategy is most likely to work in order to reach the goal. Some might feel Paris is their best chance to buy a bag and others consider Paris as a way to save money on the bag.
I think that many of us can agree that H is addicting. If you anyway want to buy different items and perhaps even want multiple bags, than it might actually be a good option to try to establish a relationship with a store/SA. Even more so if you don´t have the possibility to come to the store often since you might be able to get them to "look out" for items you are interested in and reserve them for you.
Okay, so I can't sleep and have decided to try my hand at cracking this problem. 
All the following are just my ideas to help alleviate the situation. Hopefully some might just work out if they were to be implemented so that the experience is more pleasant for all those involved! Or it can just be food for thought.
I think the least Hermes can do is install security cameras overlooking the main entrance and the side entrance. Then 15 minutes prior to opening, they can review the footage and their security guards can kick out those who've cut the line.
They can also ban the spot-savers as well.
Heck, make it easier and eliminate the main entrance and only use the side entrance so that those in line won't obstruct the entrance into the store by other customers who are there to shop for non-bag items.
Regarding the line-up time, they can post signage or just let it be known that loitering on store property and its vicinity more than 2 hours prior to store operating hours is strictly prohibited. Once again, their cameras will be able to record those who've lined up prior to 8am and also kick them out of the line before they let anyone in.
They can also do what Japan Hermes does and pass out numbered tokens to those in line before they let anyone into the store so that people can't push their way through. The tokens can even have a spacing of 20 minutes each so that they know beforehand what the approximate appointment times will be for each person.
They can also reserve line-up days to certain days of the week only so that those who want to shop at the store won't have to wade through people who are only there for bags every day that they are open. Perhaps make it only Tuesdays and Thursdays that people are allowed to line up for purchasing bags via walk-in appointments. This will help their SAs not be so stressed out every day and hopefully end up being nicer to the customers who've lined up. It will also help tourists plan their vacations so that they can more leisurely enjoy their stay in Paris.
This way, they will also know exactly how many bags by then that they have to sell and only give out a close approximate number of tokens so that those who get a token most likely will get a bag and those who don't get a token can at least carry on with their day instead of waiting and then getting disappointed. For example, they have 40 bags, they might give out 50 tokens. That makes it so that at most only 10 people might get nothing but it also takes into account any customers who decide to turn down bags as well. Heck, they might end up having extra bags due to people declining the choices that they can then allocate to the next line-up day.
Each token'ed person once entering the store will have to register their contact info (identification or credit card information and passport) and an approximate appointment time will be given. Maybe they can even be given a pager like some restaurants give out that will light up when your time is up to come back to the store. They can pass out the pagers 30 minutes prior to the appointment time. The pager hopefully has a nice enough range so people can be free to roam some small distance outside the store so customers can wait at a cafe and relax before the pager lights up and they go back in. And only the passport person is allowed to purchase. No one else so no line-sitters or whatnot can abuse the system.
I also think as each token'ed person is called in for appointment, that Hermes should tell them what bags they have in their inventory so people can choose from that list. That way, appointments are conducted pretty quickly. The SA tells the customer the updated list of bags they have in stock, the customer picks one and only one to view, they go get it, bring it out, and the customer tries it on. The customer can either say yes, I will take it or no thank you and the SA goes onto the next token appointment.
They say that what happens prior to their opening hours and outside the store is not their responsibility but I disagree. The shopping experience is a part of the customer experience whilst shopping at Hermes. They must take responsibility for their customer's shopping experience with their brand as well as any safety concerns that occur on their property whether or not they've opened their store for the day.
To be honest with you, I personally would rather pay more for Birkins and Kellys to avoid waiting in line and to avoid playing SA games. Add a few thousand dollars, enough to make it so that supply and demand is more balanced. That will eventually erode the reseller market for brand new bags and help lower price gouging by resellers and also make it less attractive for resellers to buy out all their stock. This way the stock is more readily available for regular customers.
This frenzied crazy demand and limited supply creates a cut-throat reseller market that makes buying a $10,000+ USD bag into something ugly and stressful on everyone.
Yes, I would gladly pay more per bag to get the exact bag that I want instead of either playing SA games and feeling the pressure to always buy things hoping and begging for the honor of being offered something or waiting in line overnight like a vagabond to again beg for the honor of being offered something, something that might not even be exactly what I want!
Don't get me wrong, I've only bought things I've loved while waiting to be offered a Birkin or Kelly from Hermes but I do have to keep in mind always making sure I'm buying often enough so that my SA won't forget about me or hoping she doesn't leave the company and I have to restart the relationship with someone else. And don't forget how hard it is to find a SA you even have a connection with if you're even lucky enough to live near an Hermes store!
And regarding SOs, charge more for the opportunity to customize the bag. So that those who want a customized bag will more likely get it in a relatively short time. Charging more will lessen demand for SOs thereby shortening wait times for them to arrive. Instead of customers waiting 18 months for a bag they've ordered, maybe it'll only take 3-6 months instead? Make it so that there are less options to customize will also streamline the process. Every season, preset what each exact combo is for each SO being offered and customers who want an SO or maybe call it a "Special Edition" can pay more for it and it will arrive sooner. And pre-charge for the SO so that customers can just collect their bags when they come in. That way if the SO was incorrectly made, Hermes will have to make sure the customer has the opportunity to get a correct replacement as soon as the exact combo bag is available instead of losing out on getting the SO altogether.
The way I see it, we either destroy our health and sanity to wait overnight on the streets of Paris or have to play SA games where we spend up to $10k-$15k on non-Birkin/Kelly items at Hermes for the privilege to buy a $10k+ USD bag that may or may not even be the exact combo we want or we have to pay up to an extra $4,000 on top of retail price to resellers and always at the back of our minds have to worry if the bag is real or a super fake because it didn't come straight from the store.
Yes, call me crazy but I'd rather avoid the crazy lines and the stressful SA games and pay more to the boutique to get exactly what I want, especially when the item is $10,000+! I don't want to pay the reseller $3k-$4k mark-up and never be truly sure the bag is 100% real. I'd rather pay Hermes that mark-up to get what I want when I want it. Now that is luxury!
I apologize for the length of my comment. I hope it was clear enough and that my post is understandable.
Just some of my rambling thoughts.
Thank you for allowing me to share.
All the following are just my ideas to help alleviate the situation. Hopefully some might just work out if they were to be implemented so that the experience is more pleasant for all those involved! Or it can just be food for thought.
I think the least Hermes can do is install security cameras overlooking the main entrance and the side entrance. Then 15 minutes prior to opening, they can review the footage and their security guards can kick out those who've cut the line.
They can also ban the spot-savers as well.
Heck, make it easier and eliminate the main entrance and only use the side entrance so that those in line won't obstruct the entrance into the store by other customers who are there to shop for non-bag items.
Regarding the line-up time, they can post signage or just let it be known that loitering on store property and its vicinity more than 2 hours prior to store operating hours is strictly prohibited. Once again, their cameras will be able to record those who've lined up prior to 8am and also kick them out of the line before they let anyone in.
They can also do what Japan Hermes does and pass out numbered tokens to those in line before they let anyone into the store so that people can't push their way through. The tokens can even have a spacing of 20 minutes each so that they know beforehand what the approximate appointment times will be for each person.
They can also reserve line-up days to certain days of the week only so that those who want to shop at the store won't have to wade through people who are only there for bags every day that they are open. Perhaps make it only Tuesdays and Thursdays that people are allowed to line up for purchasing bags via walk-in appointments. This will help their SAs not be so stressed out every day and hopefully end up being nicer to the customers who've lined up. It will also help tourists plan their vacations so that they can more leisurely enjoy their stay in Paris.
This way, they will also know exactly how many bags by then that they have to sell and only give out a close approximate number of tokens so that those who get a token most likely will get a bag and those who don't get a token can at least carry on with their day instead of waiting and then getting disappointed. For example, they have 40 bags, they might give out 50 tokens. That makes it so that at most only 10 people might get nothing but it also takes into account any customers who decide to turn down bags as well. Heck, they might end up having extra bags due to people declining the choices that they can then allocate to the next line-up day.
Each token'ed person once entering the store will have to register their contact info (identification or credit card information and passport) and an approximate appointment time will be given. Maybe they can even be given a pager like some restaurants give out that will light up when your time is up to come back to the store. They can pass out the pagers 30 minutes prior to the appointment time. The pager hopefully has a nice enough range so people can be free to roam some small distance outside the store so customers can wait at a cafe and relax before the pager lights up and they go back in. And only the passport person is allowed to purchase. No one else so no line-sitters or whatnot can abuse the system.
I also think as each token'ed person is called in for appointment, that Hermes should tell them what bags they have in their inventory so people can choose from that list. That way, appointments are conducted pretty quickly. The SA tells the customer the updated list of bags they have in stock, the customer picks one and only one to view, they go get it, bring it out, and the customer tries it on. The customer can either say yes, I will take it or no thank you and the SA goes onto the next token appointment.
They say that what happens prior to their opening hours and outside the store is not their responsibility but I disagree. The shopping experience is a part of the customer experience whilst shopping at Hermes. They must take responsibility for their customer's shopping experience with their brand as well as any safety concerns that occur on their property whether or not they've opened their store for the day.
To be honest with you, I personally would rather pay more for Birkins and Kellys to avoid waiting in line and to avoid playing SA games. Add a few thousand dollars, enough to make it so that supply and demand is more balanced. That will eventually erode the reseller market for brand new bags and help lower price gouging by resellers and also make it less attractive for resellers to buy out all their stock. This way the stock is more readily available for regular customers.
This frenzied crazy demand and limited supply creates a cut-throat reseller market that makes buying a $10,000+ USD bag into something ugly and stressful on everyone.
Yes, I would gladly pay more per bag to get the exact bag that I want instead of either playing SA games and feeling the pressure to always buy things hoping and begging for the honor of being offered something or waiting in line overnight like a vagabond to again beg for the honor of being offered something, something that might not even be exactly what I want!
Don't get me wrong, I've only bought things I've loved while waiting to be offered a Birkin or Kelly from Hermes but I do have to keep in mind always making sure I'm buying often enough so that my SA won't forget about me or hoping she doesn't leave the company and I have to restart the relationship with someone else. And don't forget how hard it is to find a SA you even have a connection with if you're even lucky enough to live near an Hermes store!
And regarding SOs, charge more for the opportunity to customize the bag. So that those who want a customized bag will more likely get it in a relatively short time. Charging more will lessen demand for SOs thereby shortening wait times for them to arrive. Instead of customers waiting 18 months for a bag they've ordered, maybe it'll only take 3-6 months instead? Make it so that there are less options to customize will also streamline the process. Every season, preset what each exact combo is for each SO being offered and customers who want an SO or maybe call it a "Special Edition" can pay more for it and it will arrive sooner. And pre-charge for the SO so that customers can just collect their bags when they come in. That way if the SO was incorrectly made, Hermes will have to make sure the customer has the opportunity to get a correct replacement as soon as the exact combo bag is available instead of losing out on getting the SO altogether.
The way I see it, we either destroy our health and sanity to wait overnight on the streets of Paris or have to play SA games where we spend up to $10k-$15k on non-Birkin/Kelly items at Hermes for the privilege to buy a $10k+ USD bag that may or may not even be the exact combo we want or we have to pay up to an extra $4,000 on top of retail price to resellers and always at the back of our minds have to worry if the bag is real or a super fake because it didn't come straight from the store.
Yes, call me crazy but I'd rather avoid the crazy lines and the stressful SA games and pay more to the boutique to get exactly what I want, especially when the item is $10,000+! I don't want to pay the reseller $3k-$4k mark-up and never be truly sure the bag is 100% real. I'd rather pay Hermes that mark-up to get what I want when I want it. Now that is luxury!
I apologize for the length of my comment. I hope it was clear enough and that my post is understandable.
Just some of my rambling thoughts.
Thank you for allowing me to share.
I think that H should have I.M. Pei build a giant glass dome around FSH and put all the Birkins and Kellys in a giant Cornucopia at the center. At 10 30 am the first 24 people in the queue enter the dome and fight to the death. The survivor gets to choose a bag. Then the next 24 in the queue are allowed in.
Solves the problem, likely discourages resale as a business, AND creates reality TV.
Solves the problem, likely discourages resale as a business, AND creates reality TV.