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.

 

[WhiteBus]

oh i totally agree with above sentiments there! I do not disagree all SAs works hard.
I am new to the H journey, so def that it is a different shopping adjustment with approach & timeline. So all above feedback is much appreciated and I am always grateful that my SA willingness to help when she can.

good to know about the timeline and wait time on getting items... it is def an adjustment from other boutiques that I am used to... for example Chanel, you have to buy now or regret later lol.. and Hermes is a slow & steady process.

I will stick with my original intuition to stick with one sA for now.... I am NOT in a sprint to get a bag offer at all... and know i am in this in a long haul.

Very commendable but do read this post
#3637

 

[_kiki119_]

Very commendable but do read this post
#3637

Right... i am gonna give it more time i have multiple SA in other brands but feels like Hermes like loyalty.... so def something for me to think about

 

[Angelian]

Don’t shop with multiple H SAs. Period. Not if you’re aiming at a some kind of great “relationship” and in it for the long haul, not even talking about aiming at quota bags here. Most H items are one way or another limited in supply and high in demand. Why should they look out for you when you will also ask X, Y and Z to treat you as their client? No need to be loyal to you if you aren’t to them. Remember it’s a mutual relationship, and it’s more than just laying your money down. (And generally you will be viewed as being your SAs client by the other SAs too, that’s just how it works at H.)
You‘re not walking through a tunnel to meet your SA at the boutique either, you will get to know other SAs in a natural way through your own interactions with them or the ones your SA has with them while you’re there when he/she calls someone over to ask something, in passing, just chats or whatever. You’re not on some kind of island where you are a total unknown to other H staff.
Should your SA switch jobs, have maternity/paternity leave etc, it’s really not the end of the world. Life happens. Betting on multiple horses from the get go will not leave you a winner.
(Yes, there can be exceptions that are just that, exceptions.)

 

[nymeria]

Could not have said it better!
And I'll just add when your SA IS in, his/her day is jam packed with appts., and no time to DO that sourcing- hence their doing it on their WFH day, where they oftentimes do not have access to other stores inventory. I see them ( ALL of the SAs at my store) and they are ALL working extremely hard, are at times exhausted and are always lovely and professional. Props to them!

Ok, as long as I'm on a rant, let me also add;
Want to maintain a relationship? Consider calling/texting to cancel an appointment you have if you are not going to keep it. The SA has a limited amount of time, especially with all the COVID restrictions, and if you are booked for an hour or more, and then don't show up, where does that leave them? "I need to give them a 30 min grace period, but now I only have 30 min for this random walk in client. And if they go overtime, then my next client (with whom I have a relationship and who DID actually show up), is made to wait." Hmmm.....
Treat them as you would wish to be treated.

 

[lilmermaid264]

I just heard that they are going back to 5 working days instead of the 3. Is that everywhere or location dependent?

 

[askslam]

Hi All,

Can someone shed light on the current system of the Sales Associates working on “teams”? How does that work with respect to their commission? For instance, if your SA is off, and her team member helps you, does your SA get the commission still? Or does one have to wait till their SA is actually in the store? My SA is only working 2 days a week, so hard to coordinate.

 

[acrowcounted]

Hi All,

Can someone shed light on the current system of the Sales Associates working on “teams”? How does that work with respect to their commission? For instance, if your SA is off, and her team member helps you, does your SA get the commission still? Or does one have to wait till their SA is actually in the store? My SA is only working 2 days a week, so hard to coordinate.

The “team“ is the group of coworkers that is always with them. This way if one SA is exposed, the entire team can be sidelined for a week or two and not risk the other SAs on other “teams“ getting sick and hopefully avoid having to close the store entirely. As always, it’s best to work only with your SA and if you absolutely can’t, ask them how they’d prefer for you to proceed.

 

[askslam]

@acrowcounted thank you for the clarification. I have been only texting my SA and buying charge/send as I didn’t feel comfortable until recently to go into the store and didn’t fully understand what the “team” scenario was all about. Lol. Thanks for the clarification !!

The “team“ is the group of coworkers that is always with them. This way if one SA is exposed, the entire team can be sidelined for a week or two and not risk the other SAs on other “teams“ getting sick and hopefully avoid having to close the store entirely. As always, it’s best to work only with your SA and if you absolutely can’t, ask them how they’d prefer for you to proceed.

 

[_kiki119_]

i just wanted to loop back with my previous comments. I think all of you were right and I definitely have jumped to a conclusion too soon in regards to my SA.

I had a pretty nice text conversation with her this week and she was able to help me with some RTW items. The impression I got was that she has been swamped and hadn't able to check stock for me. I sensed she felt bad and went extra miles for me to locate the items. I feel grateful that she was willing to check and pull stock from other stores for me and been successful twice (twilly from HI and a Dress from the Chicago store). She even started to ask for my wishlist and my travel plan if I were to be offered a quota bag (I am from out of state).

Again, thank you for all the H OGs for guiding me thru as a H newbie.

 

[lulilu]

^^^^ Always nice when someone posts a good news update.

 

[WhimsicalEndeavors]

I recently started purchasing Hermes, as I am finally in a place where I feel financially comfortable to do so. I've been mostly focused on Chanel lately, but realized I am not interested in owning many CFs in multiple colors especially with all the price increases.

I went to my local Hermes boutique for the first time last Saturday and was assigned a very kind and knowledgable SA. I went in. knowing I wanted to purchase some sort of sandal for summer. He brought out different styles for me to try on and we discussed my preferences in colors and heel heights. I ended up picking two pairs of shoes, one that was available and one he had to request a transfer from another boutique for.

I also loved the CSGM he was wearing with his suit and I complimented it. We then spent a ton of time in the silks area where I tried on different shawls and he showed me various ways to style them. I got a great shawl that I've already worn twice. When I was checking out he gave me his cell phone number so we could text regarding the other shoes.

The shoes came in on Thursday and and I went to pick them up yesterday. He also helped me pick out a Kelly belt and showed me various styles of fine jewelry. He told me if there was something I really wanted jewelry wise we could have it custom ordered if it wasn't readily available in the boutiques. While in the fine jewelry area, we talked about inventory issues due to COVID and he told me how the boutique had such a limited quantity of bags this winter, but that shipments were coming in pretty regularly again. We also talked about how he does not receive commission on quota bags. It then led to him telling me to let him know when I was ready to consider a bag. I said I actually already had a general idea of what I wanted size and hardware wise and general color families. We talked about it and he said he would be on the look out for me. When he was walking me out he said to text him pictures of any colors I really liked so he could get a better sense of my preferences too.

I honestly wasn't expecting to have a discussion about quota bags so quickly and obviously that does not mean an offer is coming any time soon, but I feel like I really found an SA I am comfortable with and understands my style.

 

[hyderevelation]

Hi all, I'm new to Hermes but luckily I was able to find an SA that I "click" with. I'm hoping to buy a B or K later in the year and was wondering if it would make more sense to try and get one in Europe or continue on with my home store? I'm having a hard time rationalizing the spending at my home store knowing that I'm paying a 20-30% premium on European prices and wanted to get you guys' thoughts on the matter

 

[WhiteBus]

You have to buy what you want when the opportunity arises, because everything is not available everywhere all of the time.
If you are only spending in your home store in order to get a quota bag and you know that you might have the opportunity for a walk in purchase in Europe that will be less expensive, consider this:
continue some low level trickle spending with the SA that you click with to keep your options open until you have been to Europe.
If you are successful in Europe you will not feel that you have wasted money in your home store.
If you are unsuccessful, ramp up your local spending in the hope of achieving your goal.

Remember you should expect to pay import charges unless you are very lucky.

 

[psoucsd]

Hi all, I'm new to Hermes but luckily I was able to find an SA that I "click" with. I'm hoping to buy a B or K later in the year and was wondering if it would make more sense to try and get one in Europe or continue on with my home store? I'm having a hard time rationalizing the spending at my home store knowing that I'm paying a 20-30% premium on European prices and wanted to get you guys' thoughts on the matter

Like WhiteBus mentioned, I think you should be doing both; spending at your home store and trying your luck in Europe in the future.

If you have a particular desire for a specific bag, your home store will be a better option as your SA can be on the lookout for what you want. The European savings are great IF you can get a bag offer; but you’re at their mercy, there tends to be a bias against tourists vs local clientele, shipments may not come during the time that you’re there, etc.

I don’t go to Europe expecting to be able to buy one of their desired bags, nor do I prioritize my vacation plans all about the elusive hunt for one. I have been lucky to get a few in different cities but wasn’t really given any options for different sizes or colors, either you like it or you don’t.

 

[vlando]

Hi I’m relatively new to h and trying to build my purchase history. I know sales associates don’t get commission on b and k, but do they get commission on other bags and slgs in the us? On Evelyn, smalls leathers goods, mini Lindy, belts, leather, Constance, ect. Thank you