I have realised that shopping in Asia and Europe, where by and large the SAs do not earn individual commission but have targets to hit, may have taken away from me all of this anxiety over "maintaining a relationship". As I shopped over the years I have always gotten to know the SMs and the colleagues of my SAs at various stores, I am introduced to them gradually and while waiting for my own SA, I do sometimes chat with the others in their team. This is something I have always done, as for example in France, Switzerland and Netherlands where I lived, customers always greet the shopkeeper on entering a store. It is a cultural thing and a given to acknowledge at least the SAs who recognise you.
On occasion when I pop by, perhaps to collect a reservation and my own SA happens to be on leave, their colleagues might have been asked help me and as they do not earn commission, it doesn't matter if I do buy something extra with them. This happens as I do not always expect an text or email response ASAP on a request and neither do I panic when I don't get one back in 5 seconds. I pop by either on a whim or sometimes it takes a 13 hour flight to visit the store. At the end of the day purchases are still put under my SA's "number" and the credit goes to the overall department/ store sales. All my purchases have remained in the system except when they did one overhaul at FSH and restarted everything at some point a few years ago.
Eventually if my own SA leaves to another department, is posted out to another city or leaves the business completely, it is generally done very well with my SA handing over my account to the manager, or organically I end up with their closest colleague who has helped me in the past anyway. All previous "wishes" and SO placed remain in the system and 90% have shown up. I do realise how fortunate I am to have so little angst regarding shopping at Hermes.
