Maintaining an H relationship

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

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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.
 
Wow- what a process
Thanks so much for taking the time for that thoughtful reply !!

Hermes is a game and an art form. It’s not a logical mathematical equation where if purchases/time > x a buzzer goes off and a quota bag appears. There isn’t a set minimum package of items to buy to magic an offer. The only rule is that they expect you to be “a good client with a healthy profile” and the healthier your profile the better and quicker your offers probably will be.

The process is that a shipment comes in and the SM reviews the contents with the SAs. Some stores assign bags directly to SAs, others allow the SAs to pick based on what their known client is interested in. The key is to be the one on your SAs mind when a bag you would want becomes available. This is done through continual face time and purchases that put commissions into the SAs paycheck, plus general genuine kinship with your SA. The final hurdle is the SM reviewing your profile (and the profile’s of other interested SA/client pairs) to decide who gets offered the bag. This decision is usually more strictly monetarily based, however if your profile is decent and you haven’t gotten a quota bag for a few seasons, you may get some additional preference. SAs don’t typically nominate clients unless they have a pretty good feeling that the SM will agree, ie your spend meets the SM’s general preference of 1:1 or whatever it may be. These aren’t spoken numerical thresholds and it encompasses factors like length of profile, money spent, categories purchased, time since last quota bag purchase, etc. Luck in the case where it’s the end of a sales period or the store got a bonus shipment or met their sales quotas early or numerous other factors outside of the client’s control, can also help or hurt.

So yes, spending at least 1:1 for each bag is helpful, though not necessarily strictly necessary, unless it is. Hermes shopping should be fun and not an elaborate equation. Buy what you love when you see it through one SA as often as you can and the bag offers will come. :smile:
 
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you are a wealth of valuable intel! :smile:
In my experience in the USA, exotics are easier than regular leather because there is naturally less demand due to the price so they are more difficult to sell. I don’t think the 1:1 ratio holds true for them, at least in the non mini sizes, just make sure your SA knows you are interested in one.
 
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Hermes is a game and an art form. It’s not a logical mathematical equation where if purchases/time > x a buzzer goes off and a quota bag appears. There isn’t a set minimum package of items to buy to magic an offer. The only rule is that they expect you to be “a good client with a healthy profile” and the healthier your profile the better and quicker your offers probably will be.

The process is that a shipment comes in and the SM reviews the contents with the SAs. Some stores assign bags directly to SAs, others allow the SAs to pick based on what their known client is interested in. The key is to be the one on your SAs mind when a bag you would want becomes available. This is done through continual face time and purchases that put commissions into the SAs paycheck, plus general genuine kinship with your SA. The final hurdle is the SM reviewing your profile (and the profile’s of other interested SA/client pairs) to decide who gets offered the bag. This decision is usually more strictly monetarily based, however if your profile is decent and you haven’t gotten a quota bag for a few seasons, you may get some additional preference. SAs don’t typically nominate clients unless they have a pretty good feeling that the SM will agree, ie your spend meets the SM’s general preference of 1:1 or whatever it may be. These aren’t spoken numerical thresholds and it encompasses factors like length of profile, money spent, categories purchased, time since last quota bag purchase, etc. Luck in the case where it’s the end of a sales period or the store got a bonus shipment or met their sales quotas early or numerous other factors outside of the client’s control, can also help or hurt.

So yes, spending at least 1:1 for each bag is helpful, though not necessarily strictly necessary, unless it is. Hermes shopping should be fun and not an elaborate equation. Buy what you love when you see it through one SA as often as you can and the bag offers will come. :)


I just want to say THANK YOU for writing this. I knew of this information but I just appreciate you writing it. I am trying to be patience and just buy what I love. Hopefully my bag will come soon. My SA has been hinting that it’s coming *wink wink* but I don’t know what it means. I have spent over $10K within the last 6 months with the same SA so I am crossing my fingers.
 
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I just want to say THANK YOU for writing this. I knew of this information but I just appreciate you writing it. I am trying to be patience and just buy what I love. Hopefully my bag will come soon. My SA has been hinting that it’s coming *wink wink* but I don’t know what it means. I have spent over $10K within the last 6 months with the same SA so I am crossing my fingers.
Looking forward to your reveal which I am sure will be eminent! :drinks:
 
I always ask my SA to get things for me that are available online. I provide her with the item number or a screen shot. She has them delivered to the store or my home. She is happy to do it.
That's great. The ones in my store just brows online and when they find the iem they strongly advice to purchase online because it's faster. It's quite hard to argue that you prefere to wait 3 weeks instead of 3 days :lol:
 
Hi all! I have my first boutique appointment ever on Saturday and I’m really nervous - but am equally as excited! I called my store for an appointment and have been assigned a SA. I know I want to leave the store with a Calvi and a leather bracelet (I have the name of the one I love screenshotted on my phone I’m just being lazy right now and can’t be assed to look it up). Obviously I want to look at the bags while I’m there and hope I get lucky to come away with at least one on my wishlist - quota or not. Any tips for starting the conversation about quota bags, and what I should do after my appointment?

With COVID, working full time from home, and living about an hour from my “local” boutique, I could probably make the trip at best once per month moving forward. Once I get back into the office I’ll be close enough to stop in after work every couple of weeks when the restrictions lift, but I’d love to know of any tips for building the SA relationship as this is all so new to me.
 
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Hi all! I have my first boutique appointment ever on Saturday and I’m really nervous - but am equally as excited! I called my store for an appointment and have been assigned a SA. I know I want to leave the store with a Calvi and a leather bracelet (I have the name of the one I love screenshotted on my phone I’m just being lazy right now and can’t be assed to look it up). Obviously I want to look at the bags while I’m there and hope I get lucky to come away with at least one on my wishlist - quota or not. Any tips for starting the conversation about quota bags, and what I should do after my appointment?

With COVID, working full time from home, and living about an hour from my “local” boutique, I could probably make the trip at best once per month moving forward. Once I get back into the office I’ll be close enough to stop in after work every couple of weeks when the restrictions lift, but I’d love to know of any tips for building the SA relationship as this is all so new to me.
Just be natural and kind. If you know some color or leather names that you like, ask for them by name to show that you’re a serious client. Don't buy anything that you don’t genuinely want but if you do see something you like, snap it up as inventory is always unpredictable. At the end of your appointment, if you like the SA, be sure to let them know that you enjoyed shopping with them and ask if you can have their card so that you can ask for them again the next time you come in. Also, I don’t know about your store in particular but I’ve gotten the feeling that all the stores are fairly well stocked and desperate for sales so it may be easier to get bags (quota or not) so don’t be too shy to gently ask to try one. Good luck!
 
Hermes is a game and an art form. It’s not a logical mathematical equation where if purchases/time > x a buzzer goes off and a quota bag appears. There isn’t a set minimum package of items to buy to magic an offer. The only rule is that they expect you to be “a good client with a healthy profile” and the healthier your profile the better and quicker your offers probably will be.

The process is that a shipment comes in and the SM reviews the contents with the SAs. Some stores assign bags directly to SAs, others allow the SAs to pick based on what their known client is interested in. The key is to be the one on your SAs mind when a bag you would want becomes available. This is done through continual face time and purchases that put commissions into the SAs paycheck, plus general genuine kinship with your SA. The final hurdle is the SM reviewing your profile (and the profile’s of other interested SA/client pairs) to decide who gets offered the bag. This decision is usually more strictly monetarily based, however if your profile is decent and you haven’t gotten a quota bag for a few seasons, you may get some additional preference. SAs don’t typically nominate clients unless they have a pretty good feeling that the SM will agree, ie your spend meets the SM’s general preference of 1:1 or whatever it may be. These aren’t spoken numerical thresholds and it encompasses factors like length of profile, money spent, categories purchased, time since last quota bag purchase, etc. Luck in the case where it’s the end of a sales period or the store got a bonus shipment or met their sales quotas early or numerous other factors outside of the client’s control, can also help or hurt.

So yes, spending at least 1:1 for each bag is helpful, though not necessarily strictly necessary, unless it is. Hermes shopping should be fun and not an elaborate equation. Buy what you love when you see it through one SA as often as you can and the bag offers will come. :smile:
This is such a clear and comprehensive description of the bag allocation process. Thank you!
I was also told that the supply of quota bags tends to be highest in the US in the last two months of the year because of the holiday season so reminding your SA of your wish list just before the holiday season might help increase your chances if you haven’t already used up your quota before year end.
 
Hello everyone :smile:
I have a question that I'm hoping you can help me with. I realize that given the big picture with the state of the world today it is frivolous but we all could use a little distraction for piece of mind right now - in my humble opinion anyway.

A little history first:

I am relatively new to being an Hermes bag owner. My history thus far is that I have purchased miscellaneous accessories and sandals over the course of a couple years online as well as an Evelyn while traveling in Las Vegas a few years ago. I was able to purchase my first Birkin in Chicago last year.

In my home state there is no Hermes boutique where I can build a relationship with a SA, therefore I started to build one via email with the lovely SA that I purchased my Birkin from in Chicago as it is the closest boutique to me and I do frequent the area throughout the year. I knew I could pop in for a visit at least a couple times a year.

As luck would have it, just prior to all the shelter in place orders and COVID, I was ready to purchase my next Birkin so I put feelers out to my SA. I was offered a Kelly. I passed but let him know that I wanted to purchase a CDC bracelet and a couple twillys. It was on my todo this past week to give him a call to purchase these items and then the boutique was looted during all of the social unrest that is occurring downtown. Sadly, the boutique is closed until further notice so I have no way of communicating with my SA now.

My question is this, will my purchase history transfer in terms of being 'qualified' to get offered a quota bag should I contact a different boutique than I have been dealing with while on my current bag search? Given the current situation it sounds as if many retailers are closing up shop and leaving Chicago so I'm wondering if Hermes Chicago will reopen with no end in sight for these protests. Given that my purchase history is not extensive with this SA I'm not sure he would reach out to me should he transfer to a new store, etc.

If that is the case I was starting to think about asking for SA referrals from all of you. But, given that they would be for areas that I know I will not be traveling to anytime soon is it worth the hassle? I know that it is possible to get approval for over the phone quota bag purchases for shipment but with a new SA I don't know how likely it would be approved for me.

What are your thoughts/experiences?
 
Check out the Maintaining a Relationship thread in the Hermes Shopping subforum. In short terms, no your Chicago store history will not likely help you at another H store as the bags are offered from the store, not the brand. I would hang tight if I were you. I’m not sure what will come of the Chicago boutique in the near term but I would guess at the very least they would attempt to reopen via phone orders/shipments only, even if it’s just the Chicago SA facilitating the sale but shipping the merchandise solely from other boutiques around the country. In any event, I would expect the SAs to reach out to their client list with suggestions and to set expectations. You could always email him to make sure he is doing well and gently request instruction on the next steps for purchasing (non bag) items and go from there.
 
Thank you for your suggestion :smile: .

I did email him the day I heard of the looting to say hope he’s safe & well - I immediately thought of the employees when I heard Hermes was targeted. I have yet to hear back. Even in the few weeks prior to this he only replied to emails on days he was in store. So that’s why I’m wondering if I’ll hear back.

Is it the norm that Hermes SA’s only communicate during days they are on the clock and only via boutique phone line and email? This is the only thing Ive experienced thus far. I find it strange that with such high end merchandise that contact wouldnt be more personal. My Chanel SA contacts me even on her off days and via text.
 
Thank you for your suggestion :smile: .

I did email him the day I heard of the looting to say hope he’s safe & well - I immediately thought of the employees when I heard Hermes was targeted. I have yet to hear back. Even in the few weeks prior to this he only replied to emails on days he was in store. So that’s why I’m wondering if I’ll hear back.

Is it the norm that Hermes SA’s only communicate during days they are on the clock and only via boutique phone line and email? This is the only thing Ive experienced thus far. I find it strange that with such high end merchandise that contact wouldnt be more personal. My Chanel SA contacts me even on her off days and via text.

Typically, Hermes SAs only communicate on their days in store. Some stores are very strict that way, while a few bend the rules. For example, my store is strict and SAs are not allowed to take home their Hermes phones which they use to text/email clients. I have some friends that shop in other areas of the US and get communications even on the SA's day off.

As much as I want immediate response to my messages, I know it's not fair to ask someone to be responding to client requests on their days off. I think it also has to do with the individual SA and if they mind the intrusion on their personal time.
 
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