Yes you’re right. Tbh I had twins 8 months after meeting so things got a bit hetic. I also moved temporarily about 4 hours away from the store so it hasn’t been easy to go in as often… I was offered a popular Kelly very quickly in the beginning and my spend at the time was very low (think it was my second visit), so I assumed stretching it because of my circumstances wasn’t a reason I was being held back but who knows! Haha. An acquaintance of mine was offered a coveted 25 Kelly after spending 1:1 over 10 months so I wasn’t sure if I need to buy more non leather items in addition to just spending more.
While it's impossible to say definitively, there are probably a few factors at play.
First, I agree with
@smoothsailor who said that face time is important. My SA and I do not really text and sometimes I will text her and she will not respond, but I know it's because they get very busy and have many customers and she just prefers in-person communication. I make an effort to go in and see her usually once a month or every other month.
Second, while I think one should only buy what one is truly interested in, spend across various categories is important. H wants customers who love the brand as a whole and I think buying across categories illustrates that.
Third, amount of spend is obviously important but it can vary from person to person, just depending on so many things (your rapport with your SA, the quantity of QBs they get in stock, competitiveness of the store, your wishlist, how they view you as a client, SM's rules for alllocations, etc.). 1:1 is obviously a healthy number, but the fact that it has been stretched out over a year or two may have an impact. FWIW, I was just under 1:1 when I got my first QB offer four to five months of shopping. I just got a phone call that something on my wish list came in.
Fourth, I do think that declining that popular K on your second visit may have hurt you somewhat, at least to an extent. When your SA offers you a QB, that means they had to go to the SM to vouch for you and the fact that you turned it down may make that SA more reluctant to offer you another bag without you developing that relationship strongly in the subsequent months. Was the popular K on your wish list or close to your preferred specs? I think if you're turning something down that isn't close to what you ask for, it really shouldn't hurt you. But if it was in the ballpark, it probably did hurt you. I don't think this means that you have to accept any QB that is offered, as I agree with the sentiment that you should only buy what you truly want, I think you have to balance that with the fact that the SA went out on a limb and you turned it down so that could, for better or worse, push you back to the end of the line.
