Maintaining an H relationship

[papertiger]

Please focus on the title of this thread rather than each other, TY

If you find it very hard to ignore certain people, please feel free in adding them to your 'Ignore' list.

For advice on how to obtain a B/K/C please go to the reading room in the Reading Room The Newbie's HOW DO I GET A BIRKIN (or other bag) Reading Room

For advice on how to shop at your local store please do a search in Hermes Shopping sub-forum and look for your store/region/country.

 

[PurseOnFleek]

I think it's going to be difficult for many to give good advice since my understanding is that the Aus stores work so differently than other regions. Usually I would say that it's the end of a quota period so I would definitely go in before the end of the month (asap really) and work with whomever is available and see what happens. BUT since Aus works by waitlist...I'm not sure of the 'rules' Do all/most of the B/Ks get offered based on the list? Or does it work like the USA with the addition of maybe a bag a month going toward the list? If they mostly all go by order of the waitlist, then I would just...wait (or buy something very very small just to make an appearance). If it were a USA store, I would say, go in and find someone you like. The SM makes decisions for B/Ks and with $12k spent at his store, any SA should be able to make an easy case to the SM for you to be offered.

Thankyou for your opinion! I feel so disheartened to even bother going in. Plus it doesnt help that the journey is 1hr away +$50 in tolls and parking & i have a toddler(before the journey didnt bother me with my old SA but now since the motivation has become dead it feels like a daunting journey only to me back on that path of possible further disappointment). I have been told by my old SA recently that Sydney(my store) works on waitlist but then in reality i know it solely does not. Lots of regular shoppers say they dont get their bags based on waitlisting just on expressing interest to their SA and usually they wait 1-6mo. But i do know of people getting calls for "waitlisted bags"; usually 1yr wait at least with small spend history. I feel it is more like what you mentioned how the US works. Would it be so bad if i waited for a call for waitlisted bag and then try to find a new SA on my visit on that occassion? Or would i be better off popping in before September? I dont think i have the energy to go there before end of June...

 

[acrowcounted]

Thankyou for your opinion! I feel so disheartened to even bother going in. Plus it doesnt help that the journey is 1hr away +$50 in tolls and parking & i have a toddler(before the journey didnt bother me with my old SA but now since the motivation has become dead it feels like a daunting journey only to me back on that path of possible further disappointment). I have been told by my old SA recently that Sydney(my store) works on waitlist but then in reality i know it solely does not. Lots of regular shoppers say they dont get their bags based on waitlisting just on expressing interest to their SA and usually they wait 1-6mo. But i do know of people getting calls for "waitlisted bags"; usually 1yr wait at least with small spend history. I feel it is more like what you mentioned how the US works. Would it be so bad if i waited for a call for waitlisted bag and then try to find a new SA on my visit on that occassion? Or would i be better off popping in before September? I dont think i have the energy to go there before end of June...

I don't blame you for not wanting to make that journey. If it is just a waitlisted bag you are getting then theoretically it has nothing to do with your SA so you shouldn't feel any loyalty. I'd try to find someone more to your preferred shopping style at your next visit. Good luck!

 

[hephephippo]

Hi Everyone!

Joining this thread which I've been reading/lurking for a while. I thought I'd ask for general advice : ) we have a wonderful SA from the Madison boutique and I guess I am a bit naive with Hermes still, even if I've been reading quite a bit here. Plus there's a lot of mystery that the brand keeps anyway.

I am waiting for my first Hermes bag, our SA told us we will surely get one and I believe them of course. This is the first bag and I plan on acquiring a bit more bags over time--in fact I've listed my wish list on my own and ranked the bags in order of priority, although I won't be so picky if one of my coveted bags pops-up i'll get it even if it's last in my priority list. The priority list i made, in my mind, is a compromise in case our SA can only help us with one bag - then we can tell them which bag that would be.

So now my question is on spend history. Is this really quite necessary? While I am willing to spend on a lot of other things in the H store, I also would only want to spend on things I love. I don't want to buy something I won't even use. So I wonder how critical this is? There are other things I know I could use, like some gold jewelry. While not my top choice, I can use them and if it does help with my H relationship, then I would pull the trigger on those pieces. Another thing is the Jige clutch -- i really wanted a Kelly Cut or Kelly Pochette to use for evening wear but i could use a Jige too for day wear. I don't love the Jige as much as I am drooling over the Kelly Cut/Pochette, but I could use it. Scarves is another category I am HAPPY to spend on, i've already seen 2 scarves that piqued my interest in the coming A/W collection.

I guess my dilemma is:
1. Is spend History absolutely necessary (Madison Store)/US operations?
2. if so, do you find it worth it to spend for spend history, or do you think buy what you love is the only way to go?

Thoughts on this please?

As a side note, I'm a bit of a minimalist -- i don't like things I do not love and don't want unnecessary things -- like boxes, shopping bags, etc... i try to have as little footprint as possible, but indulge in what I love -- like handbags, scarves, shoes and some minimalist/delicate jewelry (big jewelry looks funny on me sadly).

Thanks to anyone who can give some of their personal experience and insights on this.

 

[acrowcounted]

Hi Everyone!

Joining this thread which I've been reading/lurking for a while. I thought I'd ask for general advice : ) we have a wonderful SA from the Madison boutique and I guess I am a bit naive with Hermes still, even if I've been reading quite a bit here. Plus there's a lot of mystery that the brand keeps anyway.

I am waiting for my first Hermes bag, our SA told us we will surely get one and I believe them of course. This is the first bag and I plan on acquiring a bit more bags over time--in fact I've listed my wish list on my own and ranked the bags in order of priority, although I won't be so picky if one of my coveted bags pops-up i'll get it even if it's last in my priority list. The priority list i made, in my mind, is a compromise in case our SA can only help us with one bag - then we can tell them which bag that would be.

So now my question is on spend history. Is this really quite necessary? While I am willing to spend on a lot of other things in the H store, I also would only want to spend on things I love. I don't want to buy something I won't even use. So I wonder how critical this is? There are other things I know I could use, like some gold jewelry. While not my top choice, I can use them and if it does help with my H relationship, then I would pull the trigger on those pieces. Another thing is the Jige clutch -- i really wanted a Kelly Cut or Kelly Pochette to use for evening wear but i could use a Jige too for day wear. I don't love the Jige as much as I am drooling over the Kelly Cut/Pochette, but I could use it. Scarves is another category I am HAPPY to spend on, i've already seen 2 scarves that piqued my interest in the coming A/W collection.

I guess my dilemma is:
1. Is spend History absolutely necessary (Madison Store)/US operations?
2. if so, do you find it worth it to spend for spend history, or do you think buy what you love is the only way to go?

Thoughts on this please?

As a side note, I'm a bit of a minimalist -- i don't like things I do not love and don't want unnecessary things -- like boxes, shopping bags, etc... i try to have as little footprint as possible, but indulge in what I love -- like handbags, scarves, shoes and some minimalist/delicate jewelry (big jewelry looks funny on me sadly).

Thanks to anyone who can give some of their personal experience and insights on this.

1-yes
2- only buy what you love and eventually that will be enough to get an offer if you are loyal to one store/SA

Think of it this way...Hermes is not in business to sell Birkins and Kelly's. They want to sell everything in the store. Each store/store manager has certain sales quotas that they are aiming to meet. Anyone with any work ethic will want to be the best that they can be at their job and an SM's job is to sell more merchandise than any other store. They know that BKC are coveted but they have a limited supply of them. Therefore, to benefit the business, they offer these coveted bags to the clients who benefit their bottom line the greatest. There is always the slight chance of being super lucky and getting an offer with no/limited purchase history. However these are usually the lesser demanded bags such as larger sizes or non classic colors.

 

[hephephippo]

1-yes
2- only buy what you love and eventually that will be enough to get an offer if you are loyal to one store/SA

Think of it this way...Hermes is not in business to sell Birkins and Kelly's. They want to sell everything in the store. Each store/store manager has certain sales quotas that they are aiming to meet. Anyone with any work ethic will want to be the best that they can be at their job and an SM's job is to sell more merchandise than any other store. They know that BKC are coveted but they have a limited supply of them. Therefore, to benefit the business, they offer these coveted bags to the clients who benefit their bottom line the greatest. There is always the slight chance of being super lucky and getting an offer with no/limited purchase history. However these are usually the lesser demanded bags such as larger sizes or non classic colors.

Thank you! In that case, may Hermes make many more beautiful scarves and beautiful everything!

I guess I was just concerned -- i dont want to force myself to buy things I don't like/love. So yes, maybe if it does take a long time to buy a B/K/C i will wait as long as I am buying only H products I love, which I think is a small number of categories compared to others..

 

[PJW5813]

PurseOnFleek

You have got to be proactive.
Go into the store if you can't get the SM to talk to
find out who the leather dept manager is and make an appointment to speak with her or him.
Your circumstances are very specific, in that the SA with whom you had built up a sizeable purchase history is no longer there.
You need to ask if you can be put on the wait list for the bag you want.
You should be able to put forward a good case for a favourable response without being bullied into further high level spending.


p.s. I understand your disheartenment, but only one hour journey and $50 in added costs is
nothing if you are planning to spend $10,000+ on an item; fractious children are less easy to rationalise away!

 

[meowlett]

Thankyou for your opinion! I feel so disheartened to even bother going in. Plus it doesnt help that the journey is 1hr away +$50 in tolls and parking & i have a toddler(before the journey didnt bother me with my old SA but now since the motivation has become dead it feels like a daunting journey only to me back on that path of possible further disappointment). I have been told by my old SA recently that Sydney(my store) works on waitlist but then in reality i know it solely does not. Lots of regular shoppers say they dont get their bags based on waitlisting just on expressing interest to their SA and usually they wait 1-6mo. But i do know of people getting calls for "waitlisted bags"; usually 1yr wait at least with small spend history. I feel it is more like what you mentioned how the US works. Would it be so bad if i waited for a call for waitlisted bag and then try to find a new SA on my visit on that occassion? Or would i be better off popping in before September? I dont think i have the energy to go there before end of June...

I agree with others that you need to go in and talk to the SM. You should have your B by now.

 

[PurseOnFleek]

PurseOnFleek

You have got to be proactive.
Go into the store if you can't get the SM to talk to
find out who the leather dept manager is and make an appointment to speak with her or him.
Your circumstances are very specific, in that the SA with whom you had built up a sizeable purchase history is no longer there.
You need to ask if you can be put on the wait list for the bag you want.
You should be able to put forward a good case for a favourable response without being bullied into further high level spending.


p.s. I understand your disheartenment, but only one hour journey and $50 in added costs is
nothing if you are planning to spend $10,000+ on an item; fractious children are less easy to rationalise away!

Thankyou for your reply. I totally get your point i do need to be proactive and assertive. I heard that the SM at my store however isnt exactly the most approachable or empathetic when it comes to "customer complaints" (i say that loosely). I may get the courage together to pop in and ask to speak to the SM however the SA in charge of the leather dept is actually my SA... But i dont know if there is a seperate Manager for that[emoji848]

 

[meowlett]

Thankyou for your reply. I totally get your point i do need to be proactive and assertive. I heard that the SM at my store however isnt exactly the most approachable or empathetic when it comes to "customer complaints" (i say that loosely). I may get the courage together to pop in and ask to speak to the SM however the SA in charge of the leather dept is actually my SA... But i dont know if there is a seperate Manager for that[emoji848]

Are you in Melbourne or Sydney?

 

[PurseOnFleek]

Are you in Melbourne or Sydney?

Im in Sydney . Thankyou

 

[meowlett]

Im in Sydney . Thankyou

The reason that I ask is because I have a close friend in Melbourne and she actually got two B30 in this semester. That's how I know you should be getting your bag.
Is your SA dodging all of your emails and calls? Perhaps talk to your SA first and then start from there.

 

[PurseOnFleek]

The reason that I ask is because I have a close friend in Melbourne and she actually got two B30 in this semester. That's how I know you should be getting your bag.
Is your SA dodging all of your emails and calls? Perhaps talk to your SA first and then start from there.

Thanks for letting me know. I will try to reach out again but she has been getting back to any of my emails calls or texts for the past 6months at least

 

[meowlett]

Thanks for letting me know. I will try to reach out again but she has been getting back to any of my emails calls or texts for the past 6months at least

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[PJW5813]

Thankyou for your reply. I totally get your point i do need to be proactive and assertive. I heard that the SM at my store however isnt exactly the most approachable or empathetic when it comes to "customer complaints" (i say that loosely). I may get the courage together to pop in and ask to speak to the SM however the SA in charge of the leather dept is actually my SA... But i dont know if there is a seperate Manager for that[emoji848]

I see that you did qualify the idea of customer complaints, so perhaps you don't look upon your situation as a complaint as such. You shouldn't: approach it from the point of view that you have got caught out by a situation of changing circumstances.
You thought that you were moving to a position where you would qualify for a B or K because if your loyalty to the store and spending. As he or she makes the ultimate decision as to who qualifies, where do you stand and what else do you need to do?

Just an innocent naive conversation; no suggestion of disappointment or annoyance.
Can you see the pigs flying???

 

[PurseOnFleek]

I see that you did qualify the idea of customer complaints, so perhaps you don't look upon your situation as a complaint as such. You shouldn't: approach it from the point of view that you have got caught out by a situation of changing circumstances.
You thought that you were moving to a position where you would qualify for a B or K because if your loyalty to the store and spending. As he or she makes the ultimate decision as to who qualifies, where do you stand and what else do you need to do?

I got the courage to call up the store and speak with the supervisor and she now will look after my profile. I explained with current SA she is busy with her role as a trainer and then i know she already has a large clientele profile. And my life with a toddler it isnt easy for me to plan store visits or phone calls with an SA who has a sporadic schedule. The supervisor reassured me that she can meet my requirements as she is permanently based at the store so last minute visits and emails/phone calls back to me she will be able to fulfill. She did however explain the store doesnt work on comissional to spending and it is waitlist. While that may be true i think there are clearly plenty of customers who are an exception. As a regular customer of 2yrs with regular spending (prior to my 4month no spending break) would have thought i would meet that exception but i guess not. But thats ok at least i have some clarity and feel a bit more confident i am with a more suitable SA. Now i just need to go into store and officially meet her