Maintaining an H relationship

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She explained that while they stock fine jewellery, the wedding bands are only available at the flagship store :whut:, but let me prod her a bit more
Oh really?! I’ve been thinking about getting the Herakles or ariane band so I will see what my SA says.

I agree with the others that say ask for specifics. I still find it weird that she hadn’t offered to order. Maybe it’s a store specific thing? I’d definitely ask specifically.
 
Oh really?! I’ve been thinking about getting the Herakles or ariane band so I will see what my SA says.

I agree with the others that say ask for specifics. I still find it weird that she hadn’t offered to order. Maybe it’s a store specific thing? I’d definitely ask specifically.
Yeah it’s a bit odd, but could also just be my city. If that still fails then perhaps I stick with my current store until I get the QB and then switch to the flagship after that
 
Oh really?! I’ve been thinking about getting the Herakles or ariane band so I will see what my SA says.

I agree with the others that say ask for specifics. I still find it weird that she hadn’t offered to order. Maybe it’s a store specific thing? I’d definitely ask specifically.
Asked again and it’s still a no to transfers, but she couldn’t quite say precisely why, just what she’s already told me :frown:
 
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Asked again and it’s still a no to transfers, but she couldn’t quite say precisely why, just what she’s already told me :frown:
With the recognition that the SM may look less favorably on it, have you asked your SA about how she feels about you buying these pieces from the other boutique? Something to the extent of, "We have a really great relationship and I'd like to continue it, but as there's no way for me to buy this through you, will it be a problem if I buy that item there?" It might be worth asking before you switch stores because she might be perfectly alright with it.
 
With the recognition that the SM may look less favorably on it, have you asked your SA about how she feels about you buying these pieces from the other boutique? Something to the extent of, "We have a really great relationship and I'd like to continue it, but as there's no way for me to buy this through you, will it be a problem if I buy that item there?" It might be worth asking before you switch stores because she might be perfectly alright with it.
I’m planning to see her next week, will see what she says — thanks for the advice!
 
I have been told by more than one H person that SAs can be really frustrated with the sheer amount of QB demands, when, in point of fact, management determines which SAs are allowed to offer certain bags. (A bag SA probably gets the most leeway) Even if an SA would like to offer a particular bag to a client, management can and does sometimes overrule without any explanation to the SA. And, it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with prespend. So, it seems to me like SAs are being squeezed by both management and clients. I am fortunate to have a local SA and an FSH SA, and I know for certain that my FSH SA doesn’t care about prespend at all. They do care about having a regular base of repeat clients who are easy and pleasant to deal with. No one wants clients who are only fixated on the most popular QB of the moment.

ETA: a ‘nice’ SA will not give an unknown, first time client a QB of their dreams.
 
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@880 Completely 100% agree. My SA thanked me yesterday for never asking for bags when I visit and never having a wishlist. He said that is the reason why I actually get “offered the good bags.”
How is your SA supposed to know what you like (bag-wise) and offer accordingly if you’ve never said you liked a certain style or color for bags? Before I bought H bags, I would shop at H for silks and small things like Clic Clac and CDC etc and I ended up getting an exotic diamond Kelly watch when I still had no interest in H bags… more than 10 years before I started buying bags! I was offered Kelly bags multiple times but declined as I wasn’t interested at the time, but also they weren’t what I would’ve liked. I would’ve probably said yes if it was one of the ones I said was beautiful in the store (shiny lizard)… now my SA said she appreciates when I show her what I like because it makes it easier for SM to order at podium
 
How is your SA supposed to know what you like (bag-wise) and offer accordingly if you’ve never said you liked a certain style or color for bags? Before I bought H bags, I would shop at H for silks and small things like Clic Clac and CDC etc and I ended up getting an exotic diamond Kelly watch when I still had no interest in H bags… more than 10 years before I started buying bags! I was offered Kelly bags multiple times but declined as I wasn’t interested at the time, but also they weren’t what I would’ve liked. I would’ve probably said yes if it was one of the ones I said was beautiful in the store (shiny lizard)… now my SA said she appreciates when I show her what I like because it makes it easier for SM to order at podium
My SA is a leather manager. Initially, my SA was aware of what was in stock, would offer what was available and I would pick. Once, he saw me admiring another lady’s limited edition Birkin and asked me if I would be interested in one and I said yes. I have been shopping with him for 9 years and he knows my taste and my children’s taste. Now, he is well aware of my taste and actually works more as a stylist, because he often knows what will work on me and my girls re: RTW.
 
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How is your SA supposed to know what you like (bag-wise) and offer accordingly if you’ve never said you liked a certain style or color for bags? Before I bought H bags, I would shop at H for silks and small things like Clic Clac and CDC etc and I ended up getting an exotic diamond Kelly watch when I still had no interest in H bags… more than 10 years before I started buying bags! I was offered Kelly bags multiple times but declined as I wasn’t interested at the time, but also they weren’t what I would’ve liked. I would’ve probably said yes if it was one of the ones I said was beautiful in the store (shiny lizard)… now my SA said she appreciates when I show her what I like because it makes it easier for SM to order at podium
Having the SA pick, is the nature of my retail relationship.My SAs also know that I’ll try anything on that they propose, and I’m open to their suggestion. If I didn’t respect their taste, i wouldn’t shop with them. I mainly buy RTW, mainly chanel, dior, Hermes, brunello. i hate looking at the look book, amd I prefer not to do reserves. I need to see something in person and fall in love, like @haute okole . Almost all of my RTW SAs have offered to curate my closet; have seen pics of what I have; and, have seen what I wear. They’ve also all seen my bags at one point or other. At any given time I have between 23-30 in my closet, (I do loan some out to my mom and friends), mainly neutral colors, majority BK, but I also love other styles. To me, a bag is an accompaniment to RTW, not the main attraction. They also know I love textiles, mixed media, and don’t generally do exotic. If I consider exotic, it’s matte and sometimes metallic. I’m not in a rush to have any bag.

This year, I was fortunate enough to start a relationship with an FSH SA (Mainly bc she likes talking to my DH lol). Ive seen her twice. Last month, she asked what RTW I had bought in NY so she wouldnt duplicate RTW selections. I showed her my toile leather jacket and leather skirt. I didn’t ask for any bag, but she offered a 28K quadrille and a navy cargo picotin pm bc she thought they would go really well with the jacket. In February, the first time I met her, she did ask for my bag preferences bc she had just met me. I requested a dark neutral 25K, maybe charcoal gray. She didn’t find one, but she did pick my 25K bleu orage based on what I was wearing that day. I almost refused it bc of ghw, but DH got my NY SA on the phone to change my mind. It’s not quite a typical neutral, but it works with a surprising amount of stuff. I should note that I had no prespend before my first offer, and still have very little, bc she didn’t have much in my size, and she and the FSH tailor advised me not to compromise on a favorite runway jacket that could not be altered.

When I started shopping with my main SA at Madison in 2021, I thought that I was on a hiatus from bags, but he thought I could use a lighter cool toned neutral so eventually offered a 30B etoupe ( at that point, my favorite size). He was also convinced that I should try a 25B ( a TPF friend of mine also suggested to him that 25B sellier would be great for me to try), so he offered a gold one to me when it came in, in 2022. By that time, i had continued to shop so I was at roughly 5X prespend, but I have honestly stopped counting. The one bag i specifically asked him for was a mini Della cavalleria as I happened to see a runway pic. But, when they came in, my SA absolutely didn’t want me to get the dark neutral black one that I wanted. He insisted that I would love the craie. And I am glad I followed his advice. Both Madison and FSH independently came up with the idea that a cargo 25B in a light or dark neutral (I dislike sesame) would be a perfect next bag for me if they can ever get one. I would prefer a regular toile B25, but that’s not their vision.

I also tend to shop with my DH, and between my SA and him, they usually have a better sense of my style than I do. DH walked into Madison and picked the toile jacket and the leather mini, and insisted I try it, before my SA and I even had a chance to look around Lol. Sometimes such a strong SA opinion can hinder shopping, for example, my SA won’t show me certain sweaters or shoes, but for the most part, they do really know what works with my style.

Apologies for the long post :smile:

ETA: for the Madison store opening appt, I didn’t ask for anything. I’m still not sure what my next bag, if any, will be.
 
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Having the SA pick, is the nature of my retail relationship.My SAs also know that I’ll try anything on that they propose, and I’m open to their suggestion. If I didn’t respect their taste, i wouldn’t shop with them. I mainly buy RTW, mainly chanel, dior, Hermes, brunello. i hate looking at the look book, amd I prefer not to do reserves. I need to see something in person ans fall in love, like @haute okole . Almost all of my RTW SAs have offered to curate my closet; have seen pics of what I have; and, have seen what I wear. They’ve also all seen my bags at one point or other. At any given time I have between 23-30 in my closet, (I do loan some out to my mom and friends), mainly neutral colors, majority BK, but I also love other styles. To me, a bag is an accompaniment to RTW, not the main attraction. They also know I love textiles, mixed media, and don’t generally do exotic. If I consider exotic, it’s matte and sometimes metallic. I’m not in a rush to have any bag.

This year, I was fortunate enough to start a relationship with an FSH SA (Mainly bc she likes talking to my DH lol). Ive seen her twice. Last month, she asked what RTW I had bought in NY so she wouldnt duplicate RTW selections. I showed her my toile leather jacket and leather skirt. I didn’t ask for any bag, but she offered a 28K quadrille and a navy cargo picotin pm bc she thought they would go really well with the jacket. In February, the first time I met her, she did ask for my bag preferences bc she had just met me. I requested a dark neutral 25K, maybe charcoal gray. She didn’t find one, but she did pick my 25K bleu orage based on what I was wearing that day. I almost refused it bc of ghw, but DH got my NY SA on the phone to change my mind. It’s not quite a typical neutral, but it works with a surprising amount of stuff. I should note that I had no prespend before my first offer, and still have very little, bc she didn’t have much in my size, and she and the FSH tailor advised me not to compromise on a favorite runway jacket that could not be altered.

When I started shopping with my main SA at Madison in 2021, I thought that I was on a hiatus from bags, but he thought I could use a lighter cool toned neutral so eventually offered a 30B etoupe ( at that point, my favorite size). He was also convinced that I should try a 25B ( a TPF friend of mine also suggested to him that 25B sellier would be great for me to try), so he offered a gold one to me when it came in, in 2022. By that time, i had continued to shop so I was at roughly 5X prespend, but I have honestly stopped counting. The one bag i specifically asked him for was a mini Della cavalleria as I happened to see a runway pic. But, when they came in, my SA absolutely didn’t want me to get the dark neutral black one. He insisted that I would love the craie. And I am glad I followed his advice. Both Madison and FSH think a cargo 25B in a light or dark neutral (I dislike sesame) would be a perfect next bag for me if they can ever get one. I would prefer a regular toile B25, but that’s not their vision.

I also tend to shop with my DH, and between my SA and him, they usually have a better sense of my style than I do. DH walked into Madison and picked the toile jacket and the leather mini, and insisted I try it, before my SA and I even had a chance to look around Lol.

Apologies for the long post :smile:

ETA: for the Madison store opening appt, I didn’t ask for anything. I’m still not sure what my next bag, if any, will be.
I’ve had some offers that I thought I would say no (I tried to imagine the specs and hesitated to say yes, I’ll take it - most of our planning with SA is via text), but also trusted my SA in choosing something that I would really love (and once I saw the bags in person that I hesitated with my own envisioning it was love at first sight and they’re still well loved). I personally am not a big fan of surprises though. I like to have an idea of what to expect and my SA will tell me what’s on the way or what’s been ordered to let me say which I would like. When I was originally responding to the OP, I was wondering how is a SA supposed to know - with a newer client - what they like and do not like if they never talk about it? I wouldn’t want to be “surprised” with the opportunity to spend a small fortune on a bag that isn’t something I desired.
 
I’ve had some offers that I thought I would say no (I tried to imagine the specs and hesitated to say yes, I’ll take it - most of our planning with SA is via text), but also trusted my SA in choosing something that I would really love (and once I saw the bags in person that I hesitated with my own envisioning it was love at first sight and they’re still well loved). I personally am not a big fan of surprises though. I like to have an idea of what to expect and my SA will tell me what’s on the way or what’s been ordered to let me say which I would like. When I was originally responding to the OP, I was wondering how is a SA supposed to know - with a newer client - what they like and do not like if they never talk about it? I wouldn’t want to be “surprised” with the opportunity to spend a small fortune on a bag that isn’t something I desired.
+100
as you can see from my posts, I talk a lot :)
the important thing is, if something isn’t you, you can always say no. There will always be another dress, coat, bag etc
happy shopping :)
 
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