Maintaining an H relationship

[papertiger]

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.

 

[Etriers]

Does anyone else here feel that one-shot, expensive purchases are much more effective for getting offers than smaller purchases spread out over a longer period of time? In my experience, I will get one or several offers almost immediately after springing for, say, a leather coat or fine jewelry with diamonds, but my SA will be slower to offer something if I spend roughly the same amount on more incremental purchases like shoes or lower-priced RTW. Not sure if I'm getting "played" or if this is the new H way during these stock shortages. (FYI, I'm based in the US.)

I think it depends so much on various combinations of the store, the SM, the inventory and the SA. If you spend a lot and they happen to have the bag you want in stock, you’ll probably get it. They are always trying to balance the stock on hand with the stock coming in and the wants of all store clients. Sometimes it’s just lucky timing. In the U.S. though, long-term clients regardless of spending style, generally get what they want over time. If a bag is rare or high-demand, you may have to wait for a long time. But that doesn’t mean you’re getting played. In fact, I actually think that’s very, very, rare. Often those that report that they are getting played are likely either impatient or fail to consider all of the other factors. Or, oddly, they simply don’t ever ask for, or follow up for what they want. Most SAs have a lot of clients. It helps to keep that in mind.

I’ve been amazed the last couple of years at various posters who have completely disregarded Covid and global supply issues as a reason for low stock. I think we are just now beginning to see some things picking up, but there are still many sparse shelves in grocery stores and other stores. It may be a long time before luxury goods get back to normal.

 

[Justlikewhatilike]

I think it also depends on whether the SM likes clients who spend on big ticket item to get bag fast. At least my SA in singapore told me that for clients who spend big money in a short time to get a bag would not get something coveted.

 

[EllenTsai]

I was chatting with my SA the other day when picking up a rain coat I wanted
She’s retiring earlier than she had planned.
A lot of it has to do with the stress to conjure up bags out of thin air for customers who can be quite rude to her or customers who have very little consideration on SA’s time of welfare.
Last winter My SA stayed beyond her regular finishing time to help a customer. After getting everything from the stock room and wrapping up nicely, just before paying the customer asked her for a K. When she replied that there were none in stock but she can help her make a wish, this customer went to the loo and never came back. My SA who had chronic knee injuries ended up missing her regular bus and it took her 3 hours to get home afterwards in freezing raining winter.

 

[880]

I think it depends so much on various combinations of the store, the SM, the inventory and the SA. If you spend a lot and they happen to have the bag you want in stock, you’ll probably get it. They are always trying to balance the stock on hand with the stock coming in and the wants of all store clients. Sometimes it’s just lucky timing. In the U.S. though, long-term clients regardless of spending style, generally get what they want over time. If a bag is rare or high-demand, you may have to wait for a long time. But that doesn’t mean you’re getting played. In fact, I actually think that’s very, very, rare. Often those that report that they are getting played are likely either impatient or fail to consider all of the other factors. Or, oddly, they simply don’t ever ask for, or follow up for what they want. Most SAs have a lot of clients. It helps to keep that in mind.

I’ve been amazed the last couple of years at various posters who have completely disregarded Covid and global supply issues as a reason for low stock. I think we are just now beginning to see some things picking up, but there are still many sparse shelves in grocery stores and other stores. It may be a long time before luxury goods get back to normal.

+1. I don’t think it’s a game so much as the SM has to approve the SA and the prospective buyer for very limited stock of very popular item for which the SA gets little credit towards hefty sales goals. That translates into favored repeat and deep pocketed clients of the house getting first opportunities to purchase. When the house says no stock, I interpret that as no stock for me (yet). For a super VIP who furnishes homes with H etc and who has established a history spanning years or decades, of course the answer may change. I don’t begrudge that. It’s why I buy boutique and pre authenticated reseller (though not resellers who flip). It’s also why I would never buy any item that I didn’t love independent of building prespend, as I personally hate returning or exchanging.
JMO though.

ETA: @Justlikewhatilike , I thought I read somewhere that in the US, boutiques cannot officially require prespend or have bags on display marked not for sale. Perhaps another TPFer more knowledgeable than me, can confirm or correct this
@gracecska, my home store is madison Ave, and I feel that the SAs can easily tell between someone who purchases large ticket items only for an offer (who may not continue to purchase season after season without that quid pro quo) and others who love the brand for the long haul. Post Covid, there is no shortage of wealthy clients who make large purchases. Having said that, I had to establish a new relationship with my SA post Covid, and I did get three offers of one QB that I wanted and two other bags, the day my DH purchased an H08 watch. But my DH had been asking about that watch for weeks before (based on a hodinkee review), and even during that short period, we had already established a relationship ( it didn’t hurt that he also knew my first SA)

 

[Beachbunny_chanel]

I was chatting with my SA the other day when picking up a rain coat I wanted
She’s retiring earlier than she had planned.
A lot of it has to do with the stress to conjure up bags out of thin air for customers who can be quite rude to her or customers who have very little consideration on SA’s time of welfare.
Last winter My SA stayed beyond her regular finishing time to help a customer. After getting everything from the stock room and wrapping up nicely, just before paying the customer asked her for a K. When she replied that there were none in stock but she can help her make a wish, this customer went to the loo and never came back. My SA who had chronic knee injuries ended up missing her regular bus and it took her 3 hours to get home afterwards in freezing raining winter.

I feel sorry for your SA but the company created the game. And that's how it comes backwards! Thats how customers play the game also. The cusomer hoped to get a quota bag after buying so much (we don't how much the lady wanted ro spend). Then heard there is no bag and then redecided. I feel sorry for your SA but if the company/their employer would really care about them, they wouldn't play these games with customers cause it has so many negative side affects. I can also understand customers who wait and wait and wait, get promised a bag after spending thousands and don't get the bag.

 

[acrowcounted]

I feel sorry for your SA but the company created the game. And that's how it comes backwards! Thats how customers play the game also. The cusomer hoped to get a quota bag after buying so much (we don't how much the lady wanted ro spend). Then heard there is no bag and then redecided. I feel sorry for your SA but if the company/their employer would really care about them, they wouldn't play these games with customers cause it has so many negative side affects. I can also understand customers who wait and wait and wait, get promised a bag after spending thousands and don't get the bag.

Curious, what’s the solution to this problem, in your opinion? If a company only has X of a item that 20X people want, how should they decide who gets it? Even if they outright say “you have to buy $20k of other stuff then you are promised a bag”, probably most of those 20X people will do the prespend and then get no bag in return because the store runs out. They could increase the prespend to $50k and then fewer people will likely spend but few enough? (This is kind of what’s actually happening except with less transparency.) No matter how you slice it, there will still be 19X unhappy people that these SAs have to deal with.

 

[Justlikewhatilike]

Curious, what’s the solution to this problem, in your opinion? If a company only has X of a item that 20X people want, how should they decide who gets it? Even if they outright say “you have to buy $20k of other stuff then you are promised a bag”, probably most of those 20X people will do the prespend and then get no bag in return because the store runs out. They could increase the prespend to $50k and then fewer people will likely spend but few enough? (This is kind of what’s actually happening except with less transparency.) No matter how you slice it, there will still be 19X unhappy people that these SAs have to deal with.

I think to begin with, transparency is one. Like up front tell the client pre spend $xx before being eligible for a bag at the store. But probably this is just wishful thinking as it doesn’t work with some cultures and jurisdictions.

 

[DoggieBags]

I feel sorry for your SA but the company created the game. And that's how it comes backwards! Thats how customers play the game also. The cusomer hoped to get a quota bag after buying so much (we don't how much the lady wanted ro spend). Then heard there is no bag and then redecided. I feel sorry for your SA but if the company/their employer would really care about them, they wouldn't play these games with customers cause it has so many negative side affects. I can also understand customers who wait and wait and wait, get promised a bag after spending thousands and don't get the bag.

There’s no excuse for bad manners. The customer changed her mind about her potential purchases after finding out she would not be able to get a k even with the amount she planned to spend. it’s totally her choice as to whether to spend or not spend her money but going to the loo and not returning is inconsiderate and just plain rude. That left the SA waiting around wasting her time waiting for a client who never came back. How long did the SA wait for that client to return? If the client had just said I changed my mind and have decided not to purchase and then left, the SA could have returned everything to the store room and left the store a lot sooner.

 

[Justlikewhatilike]

Actually my SA always scan the item QR codes on her phone and collects the credit card before she wraps everything up. That could be a good tip for all SAs.

 

[EllenTsai]

+1. I don’t think it’s a game so much as the SM has to approve the SA and the prospective buyer for very limited stock of very popular item for which the SA gets little credit towards hefty sales goals. That translates into favored repeat and deep pocketed clients of the house getting first opportunities to purchase. When the house says no stock, I interpret that as no stock for me (yet). For a super VIP who furnishes homes with H etc and who has established a history spanning years or decades, of course the answer may change. I don’t begrudge that. It’s why I buy boutique and pre authenticated reseller (though not resellers who flip). It’s also why I would never buy any item that I didn’t love independent of building prespend, as I personally hate returning or exchanging.
JMO though.

I think it’s a relationship thing as well…
When stock is limited, it’s natural that SA would prioritise regular clients depend on relationships. It’s the same in other sectors where if customers regularly work with a supplier/ service provider with a long history, suppliers can sometimes make extra effort for things to happen.

 

[jenayb]

When the house says no stock, I interpret that as no stock for me (yet).

This! Yes!

For me, it all goes back to this rampant sense of entitlement that has permeated so much discussion surrounding H...

 

[textilegirl]

This! Yes!

For me, it all goes back to this rampant sense of entitlement that has permeated so much discussion surrounding H...

I’m sticking my neck out again on the social media limb here but I’m still perplexed. I just don’t understand why some customers assume they must be allowed to purchase something if they have the funds to pay for it. Pick any reasonable or unreasonable reason why a particular SA tells someone a bag isn’t available. Then assume that what the SA really means is ‘yes, there are quite a few of the exact bag you’re looking for in the stockroom but I’m not going to sell it to you because I don’t want to’. So what? Is it possibly unfair? Of course it is, but what recourse does anyone have if there’s nothing illegal going on? (I don’t think anyone has suggested that it’s somehow illegal for H to refuse to sell an item someone.)
As I see it, if you like many of the products on offer at H, or anywhere else you’re likely to patronize regularly, it’s always a good idea to be assisted by a SA who understands your taste and with whom you have a cordial relationship; it makes it easy to be pleased with your shopping experience. I have the same relationship with my wine merchant for example; he knows what I like and can recommend other things I might like. When I say ‘gosh I loved that Chablis you recommended last month do you have any more available’, if he tells me he’s out and can’t get any more from the distributor, I shrug my shoulders and ask what else he recommends. Sometimes he’ll tell me directly, ‘yup I’ve got another case but I promised it to so-and-so’. I accept that answer without any uncertainty about what it all means or whether I’m doing something ‘wrong’. Should it be any different with H? Is there something I’m missing here?

 

[maxroxxherhandbags]

I feel sorry for your SA but the company created the game. And that's how it comes backwards! Thats how customers play the game also. The cusomer hoped to get a quota bag after buying so much (we don't how much the lady wanted ro spend). Then heard there is no bag and then redecided. I feel sorry for your SA but if the company/their employer would really care about them, they wouldn't play these games with customers cause it has so many negative side affects. I can also understand customers who wait and wait and wait, get promised a bag after spending thousands and don't get the bag.

There is no 'game' Its the simple law of supply and demand.
When I first started shopping at Hermes in the 90's I was offered a Birkin after 3 months in my dream spec's which I just happened to mention in passing to my sales associate..as in "one day I'd love a 35cm Birkin in Raisin with PHW"..I wasn't actually asking for the bag
I just was talking about bags with her and then a few months later I got a call to say those exact specs have arrived in store and would I like her to hold it for me to see.(I had only purchased a Ulysse and some fragrance at this point)
I dont think that would happen now purely because interest in the brand has exploded and there are not enough bags to satisfy demand therefore it stands to reason that there has to be a filter system in place as regards who gets offered a bag and when.
That aside there is no excuse for ignorance or rudeness on the part of the customer in the incident mentioned by @EllenTsai
I understand from my SA that Hermes are an excellent employer and do indeed care about their staff (in fact he suggested I should join the company!).
These are just bags, luxury items, that sales associate is working to keep a roof over her head and food on her plate.
Nobody should be that obsessed with buying a handbag (or anything else for that matter) that they are rude or disrespectful to the person who is just trying to do their job.
This is not Hermes fault.
Its the spoilt entitled attitude of some of their customers that made someone reconsider their career options.

 

[textilegirl]

I feel sorry for your SA but the company created the game. And that's how it comes backwards! Thats how customers play the game also. The cusomer hoped to get a quota bag after buying so much (we don't how much the lady wanted ro spend). Then heard there is no bag and then redecided. I feel sorry for your SA but if the company/their employer would really care about them, they wouldn't play these games with customers cause it has so many negative side affects. I can also understand customers who wait and wait and wait, get promised a bag after spending thousands and don't get the bag.

This is part of what I’m not sure I understand. I’m in the US, and I’m learning that there are significant differences in how customers interact with their SAs, especially in Asian countries. Is it the case that customers are told that if they spend x they will get the bag they want? If so, is it considered a legally binding contract or in some way enforceable? If, as I assume it’s not, and if the generally accepted practice is to spend x and hope someday to be offered what you want, why are people so unhappy?
In the US as I understand it, the generally accepted practice is to buy what you want, make sure your SA knows your interests, and see what happens. The concept of ‘spend’ seems to be fairly fluid, and a perhaps imprecise proxy for how interested in the brand as a whole a customer might be. Again, unless there’s an expectation that some sort of obligation exists that H must offer any customer the exact bag they want, I’m not sure I really understand why so many people feel there’s something wrong going on.

 

[EllenTsai]

I see the primary purpose of having a regular SA at Hermes is the fact that there are so many style/ colour combinations in just about all product lines and it’s easier to have a regular SA to find out whether a given item is in my particular store so I don’t waste time and go in for nothing.