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.

 

[Le_petite_bichon]

I just learned in Amsterdam that Europe is divided into groups and within those groups the SA can see your purchases. Scandinavia and the Netherlands are one group. Though I buy in Germany and France as well, the SA could see that I have accounts in these 2 countries as well, but not what and how many items I have bought. In Europe the SA does not earn by commission, the whole store does as a group. I was encouraged to buy things on the webside if they don’t have what I want in the store.

Thank you for the reply and it is definitely very informative and helpful!

 

[miniwatt]

I just learned in Amsterdam that Europe is divided into groups and within those groups the SA can see your purchases. Scandinavia and the Netherlands are one group. Though I buy in Germany and France as well, the SA could see that I have accounts in these 2 countries as well, but not what and how many items I have bought. In Europe the SA does not earn by commission, the whole store does as a group. I was encouraged to buy things on the webside if they don’t have what I want in the store.

I can confirm all of this, fwiw (registered in NL, DE, Skandi and FR). SAs do not work on commission and my main SA is seemingly happy when I purchase abroad or online.

 

[Siha77]

Hi TPFers and Hermès lovers! After 15 years of being a bag lover (especially a lover of Chanel), I've recently started feeling like I'm ready to graduate from Chanel (super happy with my current Chanel collection) and start my journey into the world of Hermès. I love, love, love everything about leather and how much work and care goes into fine leather goods, how much character they develop as your things age and grow with you, etc... but have started really craving a level of "heart" that even Chanel unfortunately doesn't possess. I've always admired the brand (especially Birkins) from afar, I do own a few scarves but have never ventured past that since I just thought I'd never be able to get to a place where I could pull this off, both financially and for my own personal style. But, the more I learn about the incredible craftsmanship and care that goes into each bag, the more I've just become enamored at the thought of owning such a (functional) piece of artwork.

All that being said, I finally made my first appointment for my local boutique which will be a week from today! I was referred to the SA by someone on this forum (thank you, if you're reading this) and she was SO friendly and sweet over the phone, so I am super duper excited to meet her. After reading a good chunk of this thread and all the helpful tips you guys have offered, I plan to go in and just have fun shopping and chat with her. During the pandemic, I haven't stepped out of my house to do anything more "fun" than a grocery store trip, so I feel like that's how I'm looking at this: just a fun outing getting to know a new friend. I'm certainly craving the social interaction! I also wasn't planning on bringing up my wishlist for a quota bag at all during this trip, although I do have a list written down on my phone just to keep myself focused. Instead, I have some other non-bag items such as some earrings, shoes, and a few home goods on my list that I wanted to look at and maybe purchase one or two. I'm going to fight the urge wanting to get ALL my non-bag wishlist items at once since I am working with a modest budget, and I've read many tips from you guys to just pace myself and spread out purchases over time. I'm hoping that's the right mindset to go have going into this. Any last minute tips and words of encouragement would be so helpful! And I just wanted the extra confirmation, is it best to wait until another visit to bring up my quota bag wish list? I don't really have anyone to talk about this so I wanted to make my first Hermès-related post because I simply couldn't contain my excitement any longer and I'm sure my sweet, patient husband is getting sick of hearing me talk about the brand every day.

Love this community! Thank you for letting me share my excitement for this momentous occasion.

 

[Hermes Zen]

Hi TPFers and Hermès lovers! After 15 years of being a bag lover (especially a lover of Chanel), I've recently started feeling like I'm ready to graduate from Chanel (super happy with my current Chanel collection) and start my journey into the world of Hermès. I love, love, love everything about leather and how much work and care goes into fine leather goods, how much character they develop as your things age and grow with you, etc... but have started really craving a level of "heart" that even Chanel unfortunately doesn't possess. I've always admired the brand (especially Birkins) from afar, I do own a few scarves but have never ventured past that since I just thought I'd never be able to get to a place where I could pull this off, both financially and for my own personal style. But, the more I learn about the incredible craftsmanship and care that goes into each bag, the more I've just become enamored at the thought of owning such a (functional) piece of artwork.

All that being said, I finally made my first appointment for my local boutique which will be a week from today! I was referred to the SA by someone on this forum (thank you, if you're reading this) and she was SO friendly and sweet over the phone, so I am super duper excited to meet her. After reading a good chunk of this thread and all the helpful tips you guys have offered, I plan to go in and just have fun shopping and chat with her. During the pandemic, I haven't stepped out of my house to do anything more "fun" than a grocery store trip, so I feel like that's how I'm looking at this: just a fun outing getting to know a new friend. I'm certainly craving the social interaction! I also wasn't planning on bringing up my wishlist for a quota bag at all during this trip, although I do have a list written down on my phone just to keep myself focused. Instead, I have some other non-bag items such as some earrings, shoes, and a few home goods on my list that I wanted to look at and maybe purchase one or two. I'm going to fight the urge wanting to get ALL my non-bag wishlist items at once since I am working with a modest budget, and I've read many tips from you guys to just pace myself and spread out purchases over time. I'm hoping that's the right mindset to go have going into this. Any last minute tips and words of encouragement would be so helpful! And I just wanted the extra confirmation, is it best to wait until another visit to bring up my quota bag wish list? I don't really have anyone to talk about this so I wanted to make my first Hermès-related post because I simply couldn't contain my excitement any longer and I'm sure my sweet, patient husband is getting sick of hearing me talk about the brand every day.

Love this community! Thank you for letting me share my excitement for this momentous occasion.

I'm so excited for you!!! You certainly sound like you have a thoughtful and well planned first H visit. Welcome to the world of H !

 

[ce_1992]

Hi TPFers and Hermès lovers! After 15 years of being a bag lover (especially a lover of Chanel), I've recently started feeling like I'm ready to graduate from Chanel (super happy with my current Chanel collection) and start my journey into the world of Hermès. I love, love, love everything about leather and how much work and care goes into fine leather goods, how much character they develop as your things age and grow with you, etc... but have started really craving a level of "heart" that even Chanel unfortunately doesn't possess. I've always admired the brand (especially Birkins) from afar, I do own a few scarves but have never ventured past that since I just thought I'd never be able to get to a place where I could pull this off, both financially and for my own personal style. But, the more I learn about the incredible craftsmanship and care that goes into each bag, the more I've just become enamored at the thought of owning such a (functional) piece of artwork.

All that being said, I finally made my first appointment for my local boutique which will be a week from today! I was referred to the SA by someone on this forum (thank you, if you're reading this) and she was SO friendly and sweet over the phone, so I am super duper excited to meet her. After reading a good chunk of this thread and all the helpful tips you guys have offered, I plan to go in and just have fun shopping and chat with her. During the pandemic, I haven't stepped out of my house to do anything more "fun" than a grocery store trip, so I feel like that's how I'm looking at this: just a fun outing getting to know a new friend. I'm certainly craving the social interaction! I also wasn't planning on bringing up my wishlist for a quota bag at all during this trip, although I do have a list written down on my phone just to keep myself focused. Instead, I have some other non-bag items such as some earrings, shoes, and a few home goods on my list that I wanted to look at and maybe purchase one or two. I'm going to fight the urge wanting to get ALL my non-bag wishlist items at once since I am working with a modest budget, and I've read many tips from you guys to just pace myself and spread out purchases over time. I'm hoping that's the right mindset to go have going into this. Any last minute tips and words of encouragement would be so helpful! And I just wanted the extra confirmation, is it best to wait until another visit to bring up my quota bag wish list? I don't really have anyone to talk about this so I wanted to make my first Hermès-related post because I simply couldn't contain my excitement any longer and I'm sure my sweet, patient husband is getting sick of hearing me talk about the brand every day.

Love this community! Thank you for letting me share my excitement for this momentous occasion.

Yay, I’m so excited for you!

I’m no expert as I just had my very first appointment as well on Saturday, and walking in with an open mind and being honest with your SA about what items you’d like to look at were helpful tips for me. One lovely member here DM’d me and reiterated that I should show enthusiasm so I’ll pass that tip along too! Even if you don’t want to leave with a Birkin on your first appointment, talking about the craftsmanship and what colors I do and don’t like helped me bond with my SA, and we did talk about the process of getting one, without being pushy, just “curious”. I also found telling some relevant anecdotes helped us to connect too.

While “wishlist” seems to have B/K connotations, I mentioned a few items I was eyeing to my SA aside from bags (we established I am a bag lover early on), and mentioned at the end while he was cashing me out that I’d be contacting him to set up a subsequent appointment as I want a fine jewelry piece not available on site, and he seemed very happy about that and told me to also send along my B/K wishlist specs! I’m planning on emailing later this week when work craziness dies down.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

[Etriers]

Hi TPFers and Hermès lovers! After 15 years of being a bag lover (especially a lover of Chanel), I've recently started feeling like I'm ready to graduate from Chanel (super happy with my current Chanel collection) and start my journey into the world of Hermès. I love, love, love everything about leather and how much work and care goes into fine leather goods, how much character they develop as your things age and grow with you, etc... but have started really craving a level of "heart" that even Chanel unfortunately doesn't possess. I've always admired the brand (especially Birkins) from afar, I do own a few scarves but have never ventured past that since I just thought I'd never be able to get to a place where I could pull this off, both financially and for my own personal style. But, the more I learn about the incredible craftsmanship and care that goes into each bag, the more I've just become enamored at the thought of owning such a (functional) piece of artwork.

All that being said, I finally made my first appointment for my local boutique which will be a week from today! I was referred to the SA by someone on this forum (thank you, if you're reading this) and she was SO friendly and sweet over the phone, so I am super duper excited to meet her. After reading a good chunk of this thread and all the helpful tips you guys have offered, I plan to go in and just have fun shopping and chat with her. During the pandemic, I haven't stepped out of my house to do anything more "fun" than a grocery store trip, so I feel like that's how I'm looking at this: just a fun outing getting to know a new friend. I'm certainly craving the social interaction! I also wasn't planning on bringing up my wishlist for a quota bag at all during this trip, although I do have a list written down on my phone just to keep myself focused. Instead, I have some other non-bag items such as some earrings, shoes, and a few home goods on my list that I wanted to look at and maybe purchase one or two. I'm going to fight the urge wanting to get ALL my non-bag wishlist items at once since I am working with a modest budget, and I've read many tips from you guys to just pace myself and spread out purchases over time. I'm hoping that's the right mindset to go have going into this. Any last minute tips and words of encouragement would be so helpful! And I just wanted the extra confirmation, is it best to wait until another visit to bring up my quota bag wish list? I don't really have anyone to talk about this so I wanted to make my first Hermès-related post because I simply couldn't contain my excitement any longer and I'm sure my sweet, patient husband is getting sick of hearing me talk about the brand every day.

Love this community! Thank you for letting me share my excitement for this momentous occasion.

Congratulations! This is all good. Just keep in mind that while for you it may be a fun outing to meet a new friend, for her it’s her job and she works on commission in the U.S. So yes, have fun, but also bear in mind the time you take, vs. what you intend to buy. Your relationship will be better right off the bat if those elements are relative. You’ve probably read on this thread about new clients who rarely buy but take much of the SA’s time and then can’t figure out why the SA isn’t excited to see them come in. I’d be up front with your SA about your wish list for bags at your first appointment, and buy the items that you love and can afford. I always recommend spending a little more at the first appointment, then if you want to parcel out your purchases over time, do so after that.

 

[Siha77]

Yay, I’m so excited for you!

I’m no expert as I just had my very first appointment as well on Saturday, and walking in with an open mind and being honest with your SA about what items you’d like to look at were helpful tips for me. One lovely member here DM’d me and reiterated that I should show enthusiasm so I’ll pass that tip along too! Even if you don’t want to leave with a Birkin on your first appointment, talking about the craftsmanship and what colors I do and don’t like helped me bond with my SA, and we did talk about the process of getting one, without being pushy, just “curious”. I also found telling some relevant anecdotes helped us to connect too.

While “wishlist” seems to have B/K connotations, I mentioned a few items I was eyeing to my SA aside from bags (we established I am a bag lover early on), and mentioned at the end while he was cashing me out that I’d be contacting him to set up a subsequent appointment as I want a fine jewelry piece not available on site, and he seemed very happy about that and told me to also send along my B/K wishlist specs! I’m planning on emailing later this week when work craziness dies down.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Thank you for sharing your first experience! I saw your post a few days ago and honestly it was the push I needed to finally make my call. Admittedly, my heart was RACING when I dialed the number and was waiting for someone to pickup. Anyways, your experience sounds so wonderful and thank you for passing on such helpful tips. Do you mind sharing a bit more about what you mean by "relevant anecdotes"? Thanks again, and I will definitely keep you posted on how it goes.

Congratulations! This is all good. Just keep in mind that while for you it may be a fun outing to meet a new friend, for her it’s her job and she works on commission in the U.S. So yes, have fun, but also bear in mind the time you take, vs. what you intend to buy. Your relationship will be better right off the bat if those elements are relative. You’ve probably read on this thread about new clients who rarely buy but take much of the SA’s time and then can’t figure out why the SA isn’t excited to see them come in. I’d be up front with your SA about your wish list for bags at your first appointment, and buy the items that you love and can afford. I always recommend spending a little more at the first appointment, then if you want to parcel out your purchases over time, do so after that.

This is SUCH good advice, and yes, DEFINITELY wasn't planning on wasting her time. I feel like now more than ever, since they have limited appointments, I need to make her time worthwhile. Taking your advice about spending a little more at the first appointment into consideration, I think it's time to take another look at my planned budget for the appointment! Thanks again, dear.

 

[Siha77]

I'm so excited for you!!! You certainly sound like you have a thoughtful and well planned first H visit. Welcome to the world of H !

Thank you so much for the warm welcome!

 

[corgimom11]

Thank you for sharing your first experience! I saw your post a few days ago and honestly it was the push I needed to finally make my call. Admittedly, my heart was RACING when I dialed the number and was waiting for someone to pickup. Anyways, your experience sounds so wonderful and thank you for passing on such helpful tips. Do you mind sharing a bit more about what you mean by "relevant anecdotes"? Thanks again, and I will definitely keep you posted on how it goes.



This is SUCH good advice, and yes, DEFINITELY wasn't planning on wasting her time. I feel like now more than ever, since they have limited appointments, I need to make her time worthwhile. Taking your advice about spending a little more at the first appointment into consideration, I think it's time to take another look at my planned budget for the appointment! Thanks again, dear.

I second Etriers' recommendation too. I am fairly new to the world of H myself, I am about a year in. I was just honest and upfront with my SA at first, I bought a few small pieces in my first appointment and asked for a card so I could make sure to work with my SA in future. But my first formal appointment I spent up very close to my 1:1 ratio. I know that not everyone can do that, and my SA and I have a special bond as it is, but I do believe it helped build initial trust in our business relationship. I also did make it a point after receiving my SA's card to reach out to him after our appointments, thank him for his time & service, and gave that an opportunity to reiterate things that I was interested in (not BKC) to keep on the lookout for me. I still reach out to him after every appointment today and I think it's also helped in transparency and I have two quota bags and a SO offer for the spring to show for it this year (but I also do have a VERY healthy H budget relatively speaking but I buy what I love!). I also have found it very helpful to reach out and make sure to iterate prior to appointment what exactly I am hoping to look at, purchase, etc. so that he has it ready for me.

 

[ItsPurseonal]

With the pandemic situation, I recently moved out of a major city and am spending a bit of time in a more remote location (no H store). I then plan to spend the rest of the year (Oct-Jan) in a different city where there is an H store. I'm unsure what my plans look like after Jan - depends if my workplace will return to in-person work or if we continue remote work.

So my question is: is it worth building a short-term SA relationship in the store in this new city if it's unlikely that I will remain there for more than 4-6 months? (especially over holiday season, which I'm assuming makes it harder to get a bag) I have a couple items that I know I want to buy (Kelly WG bracelet, some shoes and home goods), which I think over time would "qualify" me for a bag, but I also don't want to buy those items in the "temporary city" store if there is no chance of getting a bag in that short of a time frame - I'd rather have them count towards my profile/spending when I'm in a more permanent location. Another question is will I even be able to build a relationship with an SA given the changes to appointment-only shopping where I won't be able to just "pop in" to the store?

 

[Siha77]

I second Etriers' recommendation too. I am fairly new to the world of H myself, I am about a year in. I was just honest and upfront with my SA at first, I bought a few small pieces in my first appointment and asked for a card so I could make sure to work with my SA in future. But my first formal appointment I spent up very close to my 1:1 ratio. I know that not everyone can do that, and my SA and I have a special bond as it is, but I do believe it helped build initial trust in our business relationship. I also did make it a point after receiving my SA's card to reach out to him after our appointments, thank him for his time & service, and gave that an opportunity to reiterate things that I was interested in (not BKC) to keep on the lookout for me. I still reach out to him after every appointment today and I think it's also helped in transparency and I have two quota bags and a SO offer for the spring to show for it this year (but I also do have a VERY healthy H budget relatively speaking but I buy what I love!). I also have found it very helpful to reach out and make sure to iterate prior to appointment what exactly I am hoping to look at, purchase, etc. so that he has it ready for me.

Wow, lucky you! Congrats on so many great offers all within a year. Do you try to purchase mostly RTW, jewelry, etc. over SLGs or does it not matter as much in your experience?

 

[corgimom11]

Wow, lucky you! Congrats on so many great offers all within a year. Do you try to purchase mostly RTW, jewelry, etc. over SLGs or does it not matter as much in your experience?

I have purchased all across the board. Mostly scarves, shoes, jewelry (watches), and I am also now really into their home items. I have bought a couple of SLGs. In my experience, I was glad that I bought the SLGs as I LOVE them! but I can tell that they do not weigh as heavily toward my purchase quota as some of the other categories. I would just really concentrate on buying items you absolutely love and will be functional and useful for your lifestyle.

 

[Siha77]

I have purchased all across the board. Mostly scarves, shoes, jewelry (watches), and I am also now really into their home items. I have bought a couple of SLGs. In my experience, I was glad that I bought the SLGs as I LOVE them! but I can tell that they do not weigh as heavily toward my purchase quota as some of the other categories. I would just really concentrate on buying items you absolutely love and will be functional and useful for your lifestyle.

Sounds like a great variety. I love their home goods as well! Thank you for weighing in with your experiences!

 

[Etriers]

Thank you for sharing your first experience! I saw your post a few days ago and honestly it was the push I needed to finally make my call. Admittedly, my heart was RACING when I dialed the number and was waiting for someone to pickup. Anyways, your experience sounds so wonderful and thank you for passing on such helpful tips. Do you mind sharing a bit more about what you mean by "relevant anecdotes"? Thanks again, and I will definitely keep you posted on how it goes.



This is SUCH good advice, and yes, DEFINITELY wasn't planning on wasting her time. I feel like now more than ever, since they have limited appointments, I need to make her time worthwhile. Taking your advice about spending a little more at the first appointment into consideration, I think it's time to take another look at my planned budget for the appointment! Thanks again, dear.

You may be very surprised how quickly you get an offer in this weird environment if you seem to be a serious client. While parceling out purchases over time is a good idea once you’re established, doing it too soon at the beginning can make getting established take ages.

 

[Babypooh777]

Hi everyone,

I'm very new to H and just started spending. I have been spending with the same SA but recently found out that this SA is very new to Hermes (only started 3-4 months ago). Is this a concern? Will it lower down my chances to get B/K/C? Do only senior SAs have the authority to offer quota bags? If so, should I try to find other SA then?

Also, I've read multiple people here work with their SA and 'SM'. Can I ask how do you actually know who is the SM? I never interacted with other staff other than my SA so I'm curious how do you even start conversation with the SM.

Thank you so much for your help!!