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.

 

[leechiyong]

Question about building an SA relationship...do you just go to the store and randomly get paired with whichever SA helps you during your visit? And that becomes your SA moving forward? Is there any choice in the matter or do you just kind of hope you get a good one?

You can change SAs if you don't feel like it's working.

For BH, I'd suggest reading through the thread and having patience when you go. When I visited (on a Thursday afternoon), the first floor (leather goods, fashion jewelry, and scarves) was packed, whereas I was able to find an SA more readily on the second (RTW and fine jewelry) and third (home goods) floors. It might also be good if there are some specific items you'd like to buy to call for an appointment while mentioning those things.

 

[ladysarah]

...that is how our relationship began. I trust her honesty, taste and opinions. She really helps me narrow down my selections because I like pretty things but not all pretty things look nice together (although in my head it does)...

You struck gold there! That’s how it should be and it’s a very French way of shopping. When they feel comfortable enough to say to you, ‘do not under any circumstances buy this and don’t even think about stepping out of the house wearing this colour!’
I really appreciate their honesty & expertise

 

[sunyeo78]

Thank you. I do feel quite fortunate to find such an awesome SA!

You struck gold there! That’s how it should be and it’s a very French way of shopping. When they feel comfortable enough to say to you, ‘do not under any circumstances buy this and don’t even think about stepping out of the house wearing this colour!’
I really appreciate their honesty & expertise

 

[hytangg]

Hi!

I started my H journey earlier this year, purchasing small items here and there. I am really taking my time in getting to know the brand, grow an appreciation for it (already love the silks!), and develop a relationship with a SA.

My first time in the store, I was helped by an SA who was nice. She gave her me business card and to contact her if I ever needed anything in the future. The last couple of times I was in the store, to purchase or not, I would always either say hello or have her assist me with my purchase. Each time I've always emailed her in advanced to let her know I would be coming in and that I was looking for something specific. I might not be making large purchases, but I have also told her I am trying to be thoughtful about what I buy and not rush my experience with Hermes because I want to be building a long term and meaningful relationship with the store.

That being said, I feel really on the fence about our relationship. Each time I leave the store, purchase or not, I always feel kind of lukewarm about the whole experience. She does order things in for me whenever I ask, but there are times where she will forget about something or just ignore my request. I went in the other day to exchange a Calvi and purchase a belt instead and she seemed really unenthusiastic the whole time. When she was ringing me up, we were by the handbags and I started asking her questions about the picotin and she kind of just cut me off with "receipt in the bag?".

I think the only reason why I'm thinking about this is because while I was traveling and visited a different Hermes store, I met a very sweet and friendly SA who gave me a whole different vibe. She pulled out scarves since I just wanted to take a peak into the drawers and even pulled some for me to try on. I was on the fence about one and she told me not to worry about it and that if I was on fence, I could always have my SA back home order it for me since "she should know you the best". Then proceeded to show me other goodies the store just received.

I'm on the fence on what to do. Am I overthinking it with my current SA that I'm working with? Should I switch and find another SA at the store I'm at now? Should I switch to working with the SA that I hit it off with?

Thanks in advance!

 

[H Ever After]

Hi!

I started my H journey earlier this year, purchasing small items here and there. I am really taking my time in getting to know the brand, grow an appreciation for it (already love the silks!), and develop a relationship with a SA.

My first time in the store, I was helped by an SA who was nice. She gave her me business card and to contact her if I ever needed anything in the future. The last couple of times I was in the store, to purchase or not, I would always either say hello or have her assist me with my purchase. Each time I've always emailed her in advanced to let her know I would be coming in and that I was looking for something specific. I might not be making large purchases, but I have also told her I am trying to be thoughtful about what I buy and not rush my experience with Hermes because I want to be building a long term and meaningful relationship with the store.

That being said, I feel really on the fence about our relationship. Each time I leave the store, purchase or not, I always feel kind of lukewarm about the whole experience. She does order things in for me whenever I ask, but there are times where she will forget about something or just ignore my request. I went in the other day to exchange a Calvi and purchase a belt instead and she seemed really unenthusiastic the whole time. When she was ringing me up, we were by the handbags and I started asking her questions about the picotin and she kind of just cut me off with "receipt in the bag?".

I think the only reason why I'm thinking about this is because while I was traveling and visited a different Hermes store, I met a very sweet and friendly SA who gave me a whole different vibe. She pulled out scarves since I just wanted to take a peak into the drawers and even pulled some for me to try on. I was on the fence about one and she told me not to worry about it and that if I was on fence, I could always have my SA back home order it for me since "she should know you the best". Then proceeded to show me other goodies the store just received.

I'm on the fence on what to do. Am I overthinking it with my current SA that I'm working with? Should I switch and find another SA at the store I'm at now? Should I switch to working with the SA that I hit it off with?

Thanks in advance!

If you’re not happy with your current SA, then I would try to switch. Your time is too precious to be wasted on a lukewarm experience. It sounds like you really hit it off with the SA at the other store. If that store is one that you can visit on a semi-regular basis, then it may be worth switching to that one to avoid any potential awkwardness you may have with switching to another SA in your current store.

 

[hytangg]

If you’re not happy with your current SA, then I would try to switch. Your time is too precious to be wasted on a lukewarm experience. It sounds like you really hit it off with the SA at the other store. If that store is one that you can visit on a semi-regular basis, then it may be worth switching to that one to avoid any potential awkwardness you may have with switching to another SA in your current store.

Thank you for the reply!

The other store is out of state, so I'm not how often I could get there. But I don't mind working with them remotely. I am a bit torn on this too as I am trying to build up my profile at my current store and feel like it would be a waste to start over somewhere else.

I think I'm going to just walk in the store next time and see if I can find a new SA to work with first. If not, then I guess I will start working with the other SA I met.

 

[pasdedeux1]

Thank you for the reply!

The other store is out of state, so I'm not how often I could get there. But I don't mind working with them remotely. I am a bit torn on this too as I am trying to build up my profile at my current store and feel like it would be a waste to start over somewhere else.

I think I'm going to just walk in the store next time and see if I can find a new SA to work with first. If not, then I guess I will start working with the other SA I met.

Both my SAs are at stores in stores about 1300 miles from my home. One is near my mother's house and I stop in when I am there (often with my mom in tow); the other is a $99 flight away so I stop in periodically (or if I need to for a bag offer) and shop via mail otherwise.

Both happened to be the first I worked with in either store, but neither have even blinked at my being a primary client who lives in an entirely different region.

 

[hytangg]

Both my SAs are at stores in stores about 1300 miles from my home. One is near my mother's house and I stop in when I am there (often with my mom in tow); the other is a $99 flight away so I stop in periodically (or if I need to for a bag offer) and shop via mail otherwise.

Both happened to be the first I worked with in either store, but neither have even blinked at my being a primary client who lives in an entirely different region.

I would love working with the SA who lives out of state, the thing is I'm in California and she's in New York. So it is a bit of a trek. But one I would gladly make if I was ever offered a bag.

 

[Etriers]

Hi!

I started my H journey earlier this year, purchasing small items here and there. I am really taking my time in getting to know the brand, grow an appreciation for it (already love the silks!), and develop a relationship with a SA.

My first time in the store, I was helped by an SA who was nice. She gave her me business card and to contact her if I ever needed anything in the future. The last couple of times I was in the store, to purchase or not, I would always either say hello or have her assist me with my purchase. Each time I've always emailed her in advanced to let her know I would be coming in and that I was looking for something specific. I might not be making large purchases, but I have also told her I am trying to be thoughtful about what I buy and not rush my experience with Hermes because I want to be building a long term and meaningful relationship with the store.

That being said, I feel really on the fence about our relationship. Each time I leave the store, purchase or not, I always feel kind of lukewarm about the whole experience. She does order things in for me whenever I ask, but there are times where she will forget about something or just ignore my request. I went in the other day to exchange a Calvi and purchase a belt instead and she seemed really unenthusiastic the whole time. When she was ringing me up, we were by the handbags and I started asking her questions about the picotin and she kind of just cut me off with "receipt in the bag?".

I think the only reason why I'm thinking about this is because while I was traveling and visited a different Hermes store, I met a very sweet and friendly SA who gave me a whole different vibe. She pulled out scarves since I just wanted to take a peak into the drawers and even pulled some for me to try on. I was on the fence about one and she told me not to worry about it and that if I was on fence, I could always have my SA back home order it for me since "she should know you the best". Then proceeded to show me other goodies the store just received.

I'm on the fence on what to do. Am I overthinking it with my current SA that I'm working with? Should I switch and find another SA at the store I'm at now? Should I switch to working with the SA that I hit it off with?

Thanks in advance!

A few questions to gauge where you and the SA are both coming from, because it sounds like she was friendly and professional initially, but may be becoming a bit impatient with you. It is understandable that you want to take it slow, but what does that mean? How much of her time are you taking on each visit? How much of her time are you taking when you buy nothing? I’m asking because to her, time is money. If she has spent hours with you, pulling out product after product for you to look at, and standing there while you decide whether or not you’re on the fence, and you leave with nothing (or only a Calvi, which you then return and take more of her time to exchange for a belt) it is not hard to imagine that she is not enthusiastic to see you walk through the door. While you understandably may need to be conservative financially, if you parcel out your purchases to a dribble, she is not going to take you seriously, and if you ever get a bag offer, it will be a very, very long wait.

The other SA you met on your trip may have been willing to stand there and show you scarves that particular day and be unconcerned that you didn’t buy, but whether she would do that multiple times with no sale and remain as enthusiastic is hard to say. If you are serious about getting a bag offer, it sounds like you may have to take your SA and her time more seriously.

 

[PJW5813]

Well said, Etriers

I might not be making large purchases, but I have also told her I am trying to be thoughtful about what I buy and not rush my experience with Hermes because I want to be building a long term and meaningful relationship with the store.

!

This is yet another example of shopping not being a good experience because of this poisonous obsession, fostered by reading too much on this site, with building relationships, rather than just being a good client.

Quite honestly, I wouldn't be very impressed with a client who buys something then brings it back to exchange for something completely different.
That means that the next person whose is offered those items will be buying something that someone else has bought, taken home and returned.

 

[hytangg]

A few questions to gauge where you and the SA are both coming from, because it sounds like she was friendly and professional initially, but may be becoming a bit impatient with you. It is understandable that you want to take it slow, but what does that mean? How much of her time are you taking on each visit? How much of her time are you taking when you buy nothing? I’m asking because to her, time is money. If she has spent hours with you, pulling out product after product for you to look at, and standing there while you decide whether or not you’re on the fence, and you leave with nothing (or only a Calvi, which you then return and take more of her time to exchange for a belt) it is not hard to imagine that she is not enthusiastic to see you walk through the door. While you understandably may need to be conservative financially, if you parcel out your purchases to a dribble, she is not going to take you seriously, and if you ever get a bag offer, it will be a very, very long wait.

The other SA you met on your trip may have been willing to stand there and show you scarves that particular day and be unconcerned that you didn’t buy, but whether she would do that multiple times with no sale and remain as enthusiastic is hard to say. If you are serious about getting a bag offer, it sounds like you may have to take your SA and her time more seriously.

I am quite decisive when it comes to making purchases, so I'm usually in and out of the store if the item has already been set aside for me. And when I'm in the store to say hello, I will usually walk around by myself, before stopping for a few minutes to say hello to my SA if she's free.

I understand what you mean about making small purchases and agree and see your point that if I was in her position I would be a little frustrated. I have other financial goals at the moment and am not after a bag offer. And as much as I want to let her know I am a serious, long-term client of the brand by spending, right now I just want to enjoy the experience when I treat myself to some scarves, a perfume or just a small leather good. I just feel like regardless of how much I buy, if I am being mindful of her time and not wasting it, I should still come out feeling like I had a good experience.

I will definitely keep this advice in mind when I am serious about going after a bag. When I do get to the point of going for my first bag, I do hope that I can show my SA my gratitude always helping me out and my seriousness with my spend.

 

[hytangg]

Well said, Etriers



This is yet another example of shopping not being a good experience because of this poisonous obsession, fostered by reading too much on this site, with building relationships, rather than just being a good client.

Quite honestly, I wouldn't be very impressed with a client who buys something then brings it back to exchange for something completely different.
That means that the next person whose is offered those items will be buying something that someone else has bought, taken home and returned.

I do take my time reading through threads and forums because I think there is a wealth of knowledge to be had from different people's experiences. Everyone has a unique perspective to bring to the table, and I do appreciate them taking the time to share it with others. And I have found this thread of maintaining a relationship to be quite insightful. But you may be right about it creeping into the back of my mind through all my shopping experiences, that we read too much into these posts and that it affects us in some underlying way. I will definitely try to leave any preconceived ideas at the door (literally, whenever I go in to shop).

I had purchased a Calvi while I was away on a trip for my sister, who ended up not wanting it. She told me to take it back in to our local store and exchange it for something I would use. I feel that as long as I am well within the return policy they have set and have not used the item (the Calvi was only taken out of the box once she opened it and promptly put back in and away), then I am entitled to the return. I had also emailed her prior about the situation and told her about the specific belt I was after, so she was aware that I was coming in to do an exchange.

Thank you everyone who has taken the time to leave their perspectives on my situation. I appreciate you all taking time to reply to my post.

 

[Etriers]

I am quite decisive when it comes to making purchases, so I'm usually in and out of the store if the item has already been set aside for me. And when I'm in the store to say hello, I will usually walk around by myself, before stopping for a few minutes to say hello to my SA if she's free.

I understand what you mean about making small purchases and agree and see your point that if I was in her position I would be a little frustrated. I have other financial goals at the moment and am not after a bag offer. And as much as I want to let her know I am a serious, long-term client of the brand by spending, right now I just want to enjoy the experience when I treat myself to some scarves, a perfume or just a small leather good. I just feel like regardless of how much I buy, if I am being mindful of her time and not wasting it, I should still come out feeling like I had a good experience.

I will definitely keep this advice in mind when I am serious about going after a bag. When I do get to the point of going for my first bag, I do hope that I can show my SA my gratitude always helping me out and my seriousness with my spend.

You should definitely do things your own way, and I get that you want to “enjoy your experience,” but I’m not sure what experience you are expecting to have at this point. Keep in mind that this is a business and the way the SAs make money is by selling products across the range in the store. That is how they earn a living. If you’re not buying much, she isn’t making any money. That is her “experience” with you. It’s not a problem to go in and buy one scarf, and the next visit buy a perfume—that’s completely fine, but just adjust your expectations of her accordingly.

It sounds like you actually have a good SA who is bearing up pretty well under (by your own admission) frustrating circumstances. If you want to improve your relationship with her, then unless your purchases are reasonably substantial on your purchase visits, I would keep your non-purchase “just looking and saying hi” visits to a minimum. If you only buy a perfume or a Calvi on your purchase visits, then you really need to eliminate non-purchase visits altogether right now. When you start to build a strong sales history, you can do more idle browsing, but until then, from her perspective, she’s having to work too hard for minimal reward.

While likely any SA will keep you as a client and get you what you want, with your current pattern I doubt you’ll ever get that warm, fuzzy, super-attentive feeling that you might be hoping for. A “long-term and meaningful relationship” as you have told her you want to have, is only “meaningful” for her if you actually buy things. There is no point in switching to another SA in the store because they all talk to each other, so all the SAs will know your spending/shopping pattern. It’s good that you are not expecting a quota bag offer.

What I’m guessing when you went in to exchange the Calvi and wanted to look at the Picotin is that she had another appointment and knew that you were not really interested anyway and didn’t want to take 20 minutes to go through the rigamarole of showing it to you if you were not going to buy it. If you are serious about buying a Picotin, then put it on your list before your next appointment with her and when she shows it to you, buy it.

 

[Etriers]

I do take my time reading through threads and forums because I think there is a wealth of knowledge to be had from different people's experiences. Everyone has a unique perspective to bring to the table, and I do appreciate them taking the time to share it with others. And I have found this thread of maintaining a relationship to be quite insightful. But you may be right about it creeping into the back of my mind through all my shopping experiences, that we read too much into these posts and that it affects us in some underlying way. I will definitely try to leave any preconceived ideas at the door (literally, whenever I go in to shop).

I had purchased a Calvi while I was away on a trip for my sister, who ended up not wanting it. She told me to take it back in to our local store and exchange it for something I would use. I feel that as long as I am well within the return policy they have set and have not used the item (the Calvi was only taken out of the box once she opened it and promptly put back in and away), then I am entitled to the return. I had also emailed her prior about the situation and told her about the specific belt I was after, so she was aware that I was coming in to do an exchange.

Thank you everyone who has taken the time to leave their perspectives on my situation. I appreciate you all taking time to reply to my post.

You are entitled to make returns, and should definitely take back something that you don’t want. What we are trying to tell you is that if you are a new client, and you are doing a lot of browsing and making requests and not a lot of buying and then make a return of something that you didn’t even buy from that SA, taking her time to make the exchange, it is going to effect how your SA feels about you. Right? This is only reasonable. The thing about connection is that you have to try and see things from the other person’s point of view also.

I didn’t realize that you didn’t buy the Calvi from her. From a “relationship” standpoint, it would have been better to not email your SA about it (again, taking her time) and instead go in on a day that she was off work and do the exchange with someone else, since the original SA probably retained the commission on the exchange.

The point of this thread is that some tPFers that have some experience (and may have made some of the same mistakes you are making ) can be a big help.

 

[mariometa]

I do take my time reading through threads and forums because I think there is a wealth of knowledge to be had from different people's experiences. Everyone has a unique perspective to bring to the table, and I do appreciate them taking the time to share it with others. And I have found this thread of maintaining a relationship to be quite insightful. But you may be right about it creeping into the back of my mind through all my shopping experiences, that we read too much into these posts and that it affects us in some underlying way. I will definitely try to leave any preconceived ideas at the door (literally, whenever I go in to shop).

I had purchased a Calvi while I was away on a trip for my sister, who ended up not wanting it. She told me to take it back in to our local store and exchange it for something I would use. I feel that as long as I am well within the return policy they have set and have not used the item (the Calvi was only taken out of the box once she opened it and promptly put back in and away), then I am entitled to the return. I had also emailed her prior about the situation and told her about the specific belt I was after, so she was aware that I was coming in to do an exchange.

Thank you everyone who has taken the time to leave their perspectives on my situation. I appreciate you all taking time to reply to my post.[/QUOTE.

It depends on the SA .In my store they are always enthusiastic and happy to help even if you are not there to buy (like when I go their with my friends) they know you so well that they remember your favorite colors and type of shoes you like . They never make you guilty for checking stuff .Unlike one SA I met in Paris who made me feel that way for not buying a crocodile Walt and stuff that he suggested . Even though I asked for specific things. I ended up purchasing few items but he maid me feel that I wasted his time when he was the one who wasted mine .
As for the store relationship, My cousin always visits the store , half of the time she checks stuff without buying. she is a regular and makes a purchase once a month.Her sister goes once every three months and make larger purchases yet they offer the quota bags for the one who visits more. So I suggest that you switch the SA first and make a regular small purchases as you planned to , and never think too much about it. Whenever you decide to buy the bag you should start paying for more items or make a larger purchases . Also it is ok to return stuff I know a lot off people who return things and they were treated just fine. My sister was new to the store she bought jackets and a bracelet so they offered her a Kelly 25 .Few days after that she returned the jacket , it was not right size. So they returned it and they told her she can have it as a credit.