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.

 

[sunshinebae]

I had a quick question — are b25 offered to certain vip clients or just anyone? It seems like most first time qb buyers are offered the b30.

 

[acrowcounted]

I had a quick question — are b25 offered to certain vip clients or just anyone? It seems like most first time qb buyers are offered the b30.

There are no rules. B25 is more popular so I would guess SAs try to tempt first timers with the less popular bags to see what they can get away with and how honest someone is being when they say “I’m only interested in the 25 size.” or they just hope to make a newer client happy even though their first choice isn’t readily available (and sometimes people don’t actually know what size will work for them having never had a Birkin before etc)

 

[sunshinebae]

There are no rules. B25 is more popular so I would guess SAs try to tempt first timers with the less popular bags to see what they can get away with and how honest someone is being when they say “I’m only interested in the 25 size.” or they just hope to make a newer client happy even though their first choice isn’t readily available (and sometimes people don’t actually know what size will work for them having never had a Birkin before etc)

Thank you for your quick and informative response. Someone asked me if b/k are really that hard to come by or whether they just make it seem that way to inspire a sense of desire for the brand and products to maintain a long lasting rship. I didn’t know what to say, but I’m guessing both — what do u think?

 

[lala_retro]

I had a quick question — are b25 offered to certain vip clients or just anyone? It seems like most first time qb buyers are offered the b30.

I think it's definitely possible to be offered a B25 as a first bag, it just depends on the stock situation at your store and the relationship you have with your SA, and how long you are willing to wait. I've seen YouTuber get offered B25 for their first bag (grain of salt, obviously). I asked for a B30 or K25 for my first QB, and got a K25.

QBs are hard to come by insofar as you can't just walk into a boutique and buy one (except sometimes at FSH), and it takes a little work/time to get one from an Hermes store. They are readily available on resellers sites, at a premium for desirable sizes/color combo and pretty much at retail for larger sizes (35+). So it just depends on whether one values the entire shopping experience at H or just want the bags (nothing wrong w/ that).

 

[sunshinebae]

I think it's definitely possible to be offered a B25 as a first bag, it just depends on the stock situation at your store and the relationship you have with your SA, and how long you are willing to wait. I've seen YouTuber get offered B25 for their first bag (grain of salt, obviously). I asked for a B30 or K25 for my first QB, and got a K25.

QBs are hard to come by insofar as you can't just walk into a boutique and buy one (except sometimes at FSH), and it takes a little work/time to get one from an Hermes store. They are readily available on resellers sites, at a premium for desirable sizes/color combo and pretty much at retail for larger sizes (35+). So it just depends on whether one values the entire shopping experience at H or just want the bags (nothing wrong w/ that).

I agree the relationship is what matters the most. My gf was offered to choose between several k25 or b30 when her choices were k25 or b25. Ended up with the b30 bc of the color combo was desirable and the k25 available were all in light colors that she didn’t want for fear of it getting dirty. She wants a k25 next for the second one this year. Someone said that getting the second qb is gonna be harder, has that been your case?

 

[Gal4Dior]

Curious how many members have two accounts - at two different stores. One of which is the DH's account which I would utilize to shop at other locations in fear of offending my SA at my home store.

With stock so low, I can't just depend on my home store to have items I love in stock, and that's totally excluding how difficult it has been to even obtain a QB, which is a disappointment all on its own.

 

[jbeans]

I suspect that it's not more difficult to get a 2nd QB per se, it's just that typically ppl's 2nd QB is a more sought after style than their 1st (e.g. B25 vs K25/28), so it may appear to take more time/spend. Just my 2c

As for DH accounts - mine has one but it's known at my home store. Majority of purchases are on mine, but we have his as kind of a spillover account, in case the SM is feeling super generous one year lol.

 

[880]

Thank you so much to everyone who kindly replied to my post, I really appreciate all the helpful advice and opinions!

I guess I was a bit naive going into the remote “relationship” with my SA. To be fair, when I initially contacted her I did ask her if she was OK working with me as a remote client & that I completely understood if it was too difficult etc. She told me it was no problem & that I could text her anytime with my requests & she will always get back to me. And she reassured me that if she doesn’t respond right away it’s because she is busy with in store shoppers & she will reply back as soon as she gets free time. So it does seem like we don’t get any allotted time as remote clients, it’s literally just whatever scraps of time they may find throughout the day in between helping the in store clients.
I must also say, the few times I did shop in store with my SA, she was responding to texts/was on her phone while I was browsing, trying stuff on, which I was totally OK with.
But that seems to be the little bits of attention remote buyers are getting.
I’m actually fine with the amount of time that is spent on me, I’m not at all a needy, demanding type of shopper/person. I only text if I’m ready to buy & if available I pay & I’m done til the next time, which is why I figured a remote relationship would work just fine for me as I’m not one to browse, ask a bunch of questions, chit chat etc.
I also don’t mind waiting days for a response either, I’m never in a rush for any Hermes items. I guess I just didn’t expect to be so low on the totem pole when it came to actually securing stuff.

I will say if I had to choose between being offered QBs or being offered all the other popular items, of course I would choose the QBs.
I bring this up because I have two friends, one whose home store is the South Coast Plaza in CA and another BH. While they have easily been able to get items such as Rodeos/Pegasus, popular small leather Goods, several chypres, popular dishware pieces (for example the sushi plates), picotins, etc. they have yet to be offered a QB and one of them is at over 2:1 spend & It’s been a year & half. When they asked for an update, the SAs said they won’t be able to offer them in 2022 & it will likely be sometime in 2023! And of course they are both very frustrated. This was the reason that I initially chose not to make SCP or BH my home stores, because I had heard how competitive it was with all the VVIPs, even though they are quite close to me & I could pop in weekly. So, overall, I feel I made the best decision for me.
I guess I just have to adjust my mind set to not expect to get popular items via phone order.
It’s a big learning curve for me coming from being a die hard Chanel shopper for more than a decade & getting instant gratification most of the time quite easily, even via phone orders.
And with Chanel the SAs would tell me exactly where I am on the reserve list & approximately when to expect the item since they know how many pieces are coming in. With H, there is NONE of that for me. Just, “ok I’ll put you down.” And then goodness knows when or if it’ll ever materialize. I think I’ll just not ask for popular pieces until I’m in the store, or about to go in, otherwise my ask will likely drop into the abyss & be forgotten.

As for my husband’s profile,
He’s not a Hermes shopper by any means, so the bulk of his purchases would be items for me lol I thought about him working with someone at BH since it’s the closest store to us &
it seems they do have great stock.
I’m not really looking to be offered 4 QB per year, as it’s not in my budget, unfortunately, so it would be to open up options for other popular pieces that I’m having so much trouble getting from my SA/boutique. And I think it would be nice to have a store we can just pop into spontaneously & see what’s in stock instead of having to rely on hearing back from an SA re availability every single time. So I think maybe this might be the best option for us?
Thank you again for all the lovely advice and opinions, it’s so helpful to just write it all out and hear all your thoughts & learn from your experiences as well!

I always recommend throwing all of your custom towards one SA in a local store. I am a madison client, and 2:1 does not go very far especially if you wish to conduct your relationship remotely. Unfortunately, prespend is fluid and relative to the soend of others. It’s also very possible that under normal circumstances, an SA would have had more time to service remote requests, but the stores are packed with shoppers eager to drop a great deal of money. This takes up most of an SA’s time. Good luck!

ETA: In general, I think a B30 is far easier than size 25, and second offers tend to come faster once the initial offer is made. But, bc Hermes stock is so scarce, a size 25 second offer may take a while. That’s the nature of your place in the grand scheme and stock availability. Your SA may want to offer you a coveted bag, but it’s ultimately up to the SM.

 

[Buildingprofile]

I always recommend throwing all of your custom towards one SA in a local store. I am a madison client, and 2:1 does not go very far especially if you wish to conduct your relationship remotely. Unfortunately, prespend is fluid and relative to the soend of others. It’s also very possible that under normal circumstances, an SA would have had more time to service remote requests, but the stores are packed with shoppers eager to drop a great deal of money. This takes up most of an SA’s time. Good luck!

ETA: In general, I think a B30 is far easier than size 25, and second offers tend to come faster once the initial offer is made. But, bc Hermes stock is so scarce, a size 25 second offer may take a while. That’s the nature of your place in the grand scheme and stock availability. Your SA may want to offer you a coveted bag, but it’s ultimately up to the SM.

I think it's so interesting that working as an H SA, unlike working in true retail sales, your biggest fights are often not with the customer to get them to spend, but with your manager and colleagues to get quota for coveted bags.

 

[fayeH]

I had a quick question — are b25 offered to certain vip clients or just anyone? It seems like most first time qb buyers are offered the b30.

Hello! I am very far from a VIP but I was offered a B25 for my first quota bag.

 

[fayeH]

I always recommend throwing all of your custom towards one SA in a local store. I am a madison client, and 2:1 does not go very far especially if you wish to conduct your relationship remotely. Unfortunately, prespend is fluid and relative to the soend of others. It’s also very possible that under normal circumstances, an SA would have had more time to service remote requests, but the stores are packed with shoppers eager to drop a great deal of money. This takes up most of an SA’s time. Good luck!

ETA: In general, I think a B30 is far easier than size 25, and second offers tend to come faster once the initial offer is made. But, bc Hermes stock is so scarce, a size 25 second offer may take a while. That’s the nature of your place in the grand scheme and stock availability. Your SA may want to offer you a coveted bag, but it’s ultimately up to the SM.

Hi! That being said, I am considering of having a B30 as my next quota bag because of the handles. I know this is not the thread for this but what do you prefer, a b25 or a B30?

 

[880]

Hi! That being said, I am considering of having a B30 as my next quota bag because of the handles. I know this is not the thread for this but what do you prefer, a b25 or a B30?

For context of this thread, my SA told me that had he known I wanted a B30 etoupe, I could have had it far sooner. (DH and I together on one acct stopped estimating prespend, but it was 5X + a while ago). My SA offered me other B30s, while we waited for the right B25 sellier (I don’t have a wish list but simply trusted when he saw something that looked like me (neutral colors, phw) that he would try to get it)

I love the 25 B. since Covid, I carry very little.I prefer sellier architectural lines, and the 25B sellier suits my style.
historically, I have always worn 30Bs, but they are significantly heavier

Note: I am 5’2”, size 6-8 US, medium build, not small boned at all, and the 25B is easily carried on my wrist (there is some movement up the arm but not as much as the 30. In terms of capacity, in a pinch, I can squeeze my iPad into the 25 if it cuts across the bag diagonally, but it’s not an easy fit.

 

[sunshinebae]

I love the 25 B for its sheer cute factor (plus, since Covid, I carry very little)
I prefer sellier architectural lines, and the 25B sellier suits my style.

But, historically, I have always worn 30Bs even when the trend was for a 35.
Nowadays, the 30 is too heavy

Note: I am 5’2”, size 6-8 US, medium build, not small boned at all, and the 25B is easily carried on my wrist (there is some movement up the arm but not as much as the 30

I’m 5’2 size 00 with small wrists so the b25 I tried on fits me much better except my watch and jewelry could scrape the bag handles. I tried on and prefer the k25 tbh bc of the crossbody style since I live in a city , walk a lot ( I hardly drive) and I’m afraid of getting robbed lol.

 

[fayeH]

For context of this thread, my SA told me that had he known I wanted a B30 etoupe, I could have had it far sooner. (DH and I together on one acct stopped estimating prespend, but it was 5X + a while ago). My SA offered me other B30s, while we waited for the right B25 sellier (I don’t have a wish list but simply trusted when he saw something that looked like me (neutral colors, phw) that he would try to get it)

I love the 25 B. since Covid, I carry very little.I prefer sellier architectural lines, and the 25B sellier suits my style.
historically, I have always worn 30Bs, but they are significantly heavier

Note: I am 5’2”, size 6-8 US, medium build, not small boned at all, and the 25B is easily carried on my wrist (there is some movement up the arm but not as much as the 30. In terms of capacity, in a pinch, I can squeeze my iPad into the 25 if it cuts across the bag diagonally, but it’s not an easy fit.

View attachment 5597462View attachment 5597468

Thank you so much for your perspective and for attaching pictures! Btw, I love your collections. I understand that I have a few months or more to decide and at this point, I won’t even dare to put my wishlist out there since I’ve just recently gotten an offer. Haha. There’s always a perfect timing for everything. I truly enjoy reading other people’s insights about their b/k/c experiences. I hope one day that I can have a few collections too. I’m learning so much from this thread. Thanks again!

 

[lala_retro]

I agree the relationship is what matters the most. My gf was offered to choose between several k25 or b30 when her choices were k25 or b25. Ended up with the b30 bc of the color combo was desirable and the k25 available were all in light colors that she didn’t want for fear of it getting dirty. She wants a k25 next for the second one this year. Someone said that getting the second qb is gonna be harder, has that been your case?

I asked that question a couple of months ago, and the overall consensus was that the second offer is harder/longer than the first, though the one H YouTube that I follow consistently had super evenly spaced offers, 3 in <2yrs (B30 etoupe GHW/B25 noir RGHW/B25 Gold on Gold), all post-pandemic in a small store w/ a semi-nonresponsive SA, so I just don't know.

My first offer was in Q1 this year, now I'm in progress towards my second offer. My SA asked for my wishlist last month, so I'm guessing it may come some time around Oct. I have heard online that if you bought a QB during the first half of a year, then the second offer won't be made till the second half, but not sure how true that is.

Hi! That being said, I am considering of having a B30 as my next quota bag because of the handles. I know this is not the thread for this but what do you prefer, a b25 or a B30?

I originally had B25 on my wishlist, after seeing one in person at a TRR store, I told my SA to cross it off because the handle was too small and I don't want to struggle to get my arm through. I don't typically carry top handle bags w/ my fingers, I like to T-rex them so my hands are free.