Maintaining an H relationship

[papertiger]

Please focus on the title of this thread rather than each other, TY

If you find it very hard to ignore certain people, please feel free in adding them to your 'Ignore' list.

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.

 

[fice16]

Maybe you would like to share what country you are referring to?

The Ceo himself said that in the financial webcast that H is doing very well in countries where there is a huge middle class although the middle class may not buy the most expensive things.

At the top of my head, I am thinking H is doing very well in Asia (especially China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, etc.) and the US. I’m not sure about the US but rtw and fine jewellery….customers need SA to fight for them to be able to get their desired pieces in Asia.

One of the flagship boutiques in the US.
Based on my personal (limited) experiences, I think the (new? old?) clients' spending seems to be losing steam since 2022, such that the SAs are relying more on some long-term clients whom they know to have solid spending power...
I didn't feel they were that stressed pre-pandemic, or in 2021.

 

[dgreen101]

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.

Thank you so much. This was so helpful and I definitely agree on all aspects. I finally added some more options to my wishlist so hoping that helps.

 

[smoothsailor]

One of the flagship boutiques in the US.
Based on my personal (limited) experiences, I think the (new? old?) clients' spending seems to be losing steam since 2022, such that the SAs are relying more on some long-term clients whom they know to have solid spending power...
I didn't feel they were that stressed pre-pandemic, or in 2021.

Oh really? There are so many posts in this thread in 2022 that SAs do not reply customers and one of the main reasons is that they have nothing the customers want. Mid 2022, I went to one of the biggest boutiques in US and they shorten their hours as they didn’t have much to sell.

Still, I can share that fine jewellery and porcelain are back order in asia and the wait time is short if it is a couple of months. Can be a year and more. I have rtw, fine jewellery that I requested but never came. One of the pieces eventually came after more than 1 year.

But it could be true in some sense as overseas travel picked up nearer the later part of the year. Sooooo many people flock to Paris from US to try their luck at the FSH when euros was at parity to the USD.

 

[fice16]

Oh really? There are so many posts in this thread in 2022 that SAs do not reply customers and one of the main reasons is that they have nothing the customers want. Mid 2022, I went to one of the biggest boutiques in US and they shorten their hours as they didn’t have much to sell.

Still, I can share that fine jewellery and porcelain are back order in asia and the wait time is short if it is a couple of months. Can be a year and more. I have rtw, fine jewellery that I requested but never came. One of the pieces eventually came after more than 1 year.

But it could be true in some sense as overseas travel picked up nearer the later part of the year. Sooooo many people flock to Paris from US to try their luck at the FSH when euros was at parity to the USD.

They do not reply to customers because they don't have inventory to sell to them.
In my local boutique, one of the most affluent cities in the US, there have been no lack of RTWs to try & buy since Fall 2022. I got texts from my SA to ask me if I am interested in RTWs, for no less than 10 pieces for the past 6 months. There are some RTWs that need to be ordered for my size (French size 36), but they have been arriving after my SA ordered. Also, the boutique is not flooded with clients during weekdays hours anymore. SAs are not as busy and there are plenty of RTW & fine jewelries.
I am talking about my experience as a known long-time good customer at my local boutique, whom have been offered 2 QBs last year. I may get preferential treatment for shopping(?) I dunno...It could also be a regional thing, my local boutique has significantly expanded in terms of sales volume & prespend ratio during pandemic time. I think the prespend is 3:1 to 5:1 for QB for most clients nowadays, which I think becomes unhealthy because when the regional economy shrinks, the boutique may not sustain such high prespend ratio for all new/old clients, and have to get some financially-solid long-time/new clients to maintain the spending level.

Your experience and many other new customers' experiences could be different. YMMV.

 

[smoothsailor]

They do not reply to customers because they don't have inventory to sell to them.
In my local boutique, one of the most affluent cities in the US, there have been no lack of RTWs to try & buy since Fall 2022. I got texts from my SA to ask me if I am interested in RTWs, for no less than 10 pieces for the past 6 months. There are some RTWs that need to be ordered for my size (French size 36), but they have been arriving after my SA ordered. Also, the boutique is not flooded with clients during weekdays hours anymore. SAs are not as busy and there are plenty of RTW & fine jewelries.
I am talking about my experience as a known long-time good customer at my local boutique, whom have been offered 2 QBs last year. I may get preferential treatment for shopping(?) I dunno...It could also be a regional thing, my local boutique has significantly expanded in terms of sales volume & prespend ratio during pandemic time. I think the prespend is 3:1 to 5:1 for QB for most clients nowadays, which I think becomes unhealthy because when the regional economy shrinks, the boutique may not sustain such high prespend ratio for all new/old clients, and have to get some financially-solid long-time/new clients to maintain the spending level.

Your experience and many other new customers' experiences could be different. YMMV.

Thanks so much for sharing! Im very glad that your SA is contacting you with nice offerings. Congratulations for getting your 2 QBs! Many people were not able to (but at 5:1…why do we need so many?!) I am guessing what you experienced could be the laggard effect of the recession as it hits luxury sector later….if that’s really true, it’s great news!

I’m sure we each are only seeing certain parts of the ice berg. I do think it is really unhealthy for high pre spend ratios. It’s madness and doesn’t do any good for customers.

Nonetheless, I’m not worried about the boutiques sustaining such high pre spend. They can jolly well reduced their pre spend. When China opened up nearer the end of last year, customers can walk in to a boutique and be offered non quota bags without any spending. Before they had their big scale covid outbreak end of 2022, it was 1:1 for non quota bags. Even at airport stores now, non quota bags at 1:1.

I do hope that the relationship becomes healthier from now!

 

[BreezyE]

They do not reply to customers because they don't have inventory to sell to them.
In my local boutique, one of the most affluent cities in the US, there have been no lack of RTWs to try & buy since Fall 2022. I got texts from my SA to ask me if I am interested in RTWs, for no less than 10 pieces for the past 6 months. There are some RTWs that need to be ordered for my size (French size 36), but they have been arriving after my SA ordered. Also, the boutique is not flooded with clients during weekdays hours anymore. SAs are not as busy and there are plenty of RTW & fine jewelries.
I am talking about my experience as a known long-time good customer at my local boutique, whom have been offered 2 QBs last year. I may get preferential treatment for shopping(?) I dunno...It could also be a regional thing, my local boutique has significantly expanded in terms of sales volume & prespend ratio during pandemic time. I think the prespend is 3:1 to 5:1 for QB for most clients nowadays, which I think becomes unhealthy because when the regional economy shrinks, the boutique may not sustain such high prespend ratio for all new/old clients, and have to get some financially-solid long-time/new clients to maintain the spending level.

Your experience and many other new customers' experiences could be different. YMMV.

I was in my home store the other day and I was the only customer in the store for over an hour! Other times this year the store has been really empty.

 

[fice16]

I was in my home store the other day and I was the only customer in the store for over an hour! Other times this year the store has been really empty.

Let's see how H sales will do in the US this year.
Other than price increase, I think my local H boutique is seeing less foot traffic in recent months. I also see more stocks in the RTW, FJ, silk, homeware in the H boutique as compared to 2021.

 

[je m'adore~]

Hi everyone,

I really appreciate everyone who responds here. So I have been shopping with my SA since late 2021. Like many I was offered a birkin with little spend (prior to that I had shopped at Hermes when I lived in Europe). I don’t live anywhere near a store (it’s a 6 hour drive and with 2 young kids it’s not an easy trip) so my SA has been generally great at ordering and sending me items with some imitative of my part to follow up. He has my wishlist and I have asked and reminded him of it. He has only told me stock is low which I understand. My spend in the last 6 months is about 1:1. I know that is not super high but I want to know if there is any hope to get an offer or should I just give up/slow down my spending since I’m a remote shopper and won’t be given priority? Is it okay to be direct and ask ‘is it bc I’m not coming in to the store’? I have bought across a few departments but there are a few areas I would still like to explore. While I always purchase what I want, there is no denying that they are partially motivated by the desire for another quota bag esp since the first one I was offered while I love and I’m so grateful to have is bright and I would love a neutral.

I guess I am feeling deflated and burnt out and wondering if I will get an offer anytime soon.

Thanks in advance for all your wise words and advice!

 

[smoothsailor]

Hi everyone,

I really appreciate everyone who responds here. So I have been shopping with my SA since late 2021. Like many I was offered a birkin with little spend (prior to that I had shopped at Hermes when I lived in Europe). I don’t live anywhere near a store (it’s a 6 hour drive and with 2 young kids it’s not an easy trip) so my SA has been generally great at ordering and sending me items with some imitative of my part to follow up. He has my wishlist and I have asked and reminded him of it. He has only told me stock is low which I understand. My spend in the last 6 months is about 1:1. I know that is not super high but I want to know if there is any hope to get an offer or should I just give up/slow down my spending since I’m a remote shopper and won’t be given priority? Is it okay to be direct and ask ‘is it bc I’m not coming in to the store’? I have bought across a few departments but there are a few areas I would still like to explore. While I always purchase what I want, there is no denying that they are partially motivated by the desire for another quota bag esp since the first one I was offered while I love and I’m so grateful to have is bright and I would love a neutral.

I guess I am feeling deflated and burnt out and wondering if I will get an offer anytime soon.

Thanks in advance for all your wise words and advice!

I think it’s ok to share what you want want with your SA and ask her if any offer is coming.

 

[880]

He has my wishlist and I have asked and reminded him of it.

He has only told me stock is low which I understand.

My spend in the last 6 months is about 1:1.

I know that is not super high but I want to know if there is any hope to get an offer

or should I just give up/slow down my spending since I’m a remote shopper and won’t be given priority?

In general, from my experience, and that of my friends, 1:1 spend AND very rare in person appearances make it unlikely to get an offer of a neutral QB (size 30 and under) in a U.S. flagship like NY at this time. An exception might be made at FSH where no spend is required for a QB or if you are a local client in the UK or in an EU boutique that operates on a wishlist system. (The wait time could still be considerable though)

If you slow your spending and don’t go in person, I believe your chances will drop even further.

This is because clients who want to get offers from the boutique tend to go frequently and spend higher amounts, so the limited stock will go to them.

JMO though, and I wish you the best of luck.

ETA: I believe that it may have been easier to get an offer in late 2021 (when you got your first offer?), but I’m not entirely certain. I do not believe that the lack of offer is solely due to limited personal visits. As time went on, SAs had to contend with more and more clients who wanted limited QBs, so the spend bar was raised. In general, I find a past post #2506 of @acrowcounted to be very insightful at least in terms of the US flagships:

San Francisco Hermes Store

I think we are at a disadvantage working in the SF boutique, but I know someone who spent less than 1:1 and got a B30 offer back in April (togo, neutral color in GHW too)... I don't know if that was a one-off instance and she got really lucky, but I do think it's important to be patient! FWIW...

forum.purseblog.com

 

[880]

Forgot to add, if someone started shopping in late 2021, and she got a QB in 2022 with a 1:1 spend and very few in person visits, this would be considered a very positive outcome. Given the significant numbers of other clients with higher prespend and more regular visits, who have not received any 2022 bags, even the possibility of another QB anytime in 2023 or 2024 would be considered extremely fortunate.

If a client slows or stops shopping (so little to no prespend in 2023), then it’s very likely that client would drop off the SAs radar or the SA would have a much harder time convincing their SM to allow an offer to be made. I say this as someone who has a healthy prespend in RTW and home, and who has had several offers of b30, but only accepted one B30 in 2021. In 2022, I accepted a B25 gold sellier offer, but by the time the bag arrived, my prespend was 5X rising. During 2022, I did accept a K25 before the B25, and a K28 quadrille after the B25, but the K offers were from FSH where I had no prespend. (I did buy minimally after the fact and established a relationship then). Both my FSH and NY SAs are aware of each other and my offers. These QB offers are in addition to a few other non QB offers from both locations that I accepted, and none of the bags are included in my rough prespend calculation.

I do recommend being up front with your SA and asking how hard will it be to get what you want. I don’t have a wishlist, and prefer to buy more spontaneously. It’s possible, that if I had made a specific request, I would have gotten a QB sooner, but I’m glad I waited for my SAs to pick the right bag for me. Everyone’s relationship is different; and not all SAs have the best access to the best bags (my SA is not in leather, so basically also has to wait for a shot at a coveted bag). So there are more variables than simple prespend or x amounts of visits per year.

By the way, I have a very friendly relationship with my FSH (whom I see 2X a year) and Local NY SA. No one begrudges me other shopping opportunities when I am in Asia for weeks at a time. But, when I am in the US, I stick to my local boutique, not bc of prespend, but bc it’s best for me to shop with an SA who knows my taste; my budget; and what I already own.

 

[Tykhe]

My husband and I have separate accounts. He has spent 3:1 all in fine jewelry and rtw since last may and he has not received any offers. My sa keeps saying it is about time he should get something but nothing appears lol. To be fair, I am asking for a very specific bag (etoupe kelly 25) so it may be hard to come by. But yeah, as @880 said, for the smaller sizes, you need to spend more than 1:1

 

[Genie27]

Forgot to add, if someone started shopping in late 2021, and she got a QB in 2022 with a 1:1 spend and very few in person visits, this would be considered a very positive outcome. Given the significant numbers of other clients with higher prespend and more regular visits, who have not received any 2022 bags, even the possibility of another QB anytime in 2023 or 2024 would be considered extremely fortunate.

If a client slows or stops shopping (so little to no prespend in 2023), then it’s very likely that client would drop off the SAs radar or the SA would have a much harder time convincing their SM to allow an offer to be made. I say this as someone who has a healthy prespend in RTW and home, and who has had several offers of b30, but only accepted one B30 in 2021. In 2022, I accepted a B25 gold sellier offer, but by the time the bag arrived, my prespend was 5X rising. During 2022, I did accept a K25 before the B25, and a K28 quadrille after the B25, but the K offers were from FSH where I had no prespend. (I did buy minimally after the fact and established a relationship then). Both my FSH and NY SAs are aware of each other and my offers. These QB offers are in addition to a few other non QB offers from both locations that I accepted, and none of the bags are included in my rough prespend calculation.

I do recommend being up front with your SA and asking how hard will it be to get what you want. I don’t have a wishlist, and prefer to buy more spontaneously. It’s possible, that if I had made a specific request, I would have gotten a QB sooner, but I’m glad I waited for my SAs to pick the right bag for me. Everyone’s relationship is different; and not all SAs have the best access to the best bags (my SA is not in leather, so basically also has to wait for a shot at a coveted bag). So there are more variables than simple prespend or x amounts of visits per year.

By the way, I have a very friendly relationship with my FSH (whom I see 2X a year) and Local NY SA. No one begrudges me other shopping opportunities when I am in Asia for weeks at a time. But, when I am in the US, I stick to my local boutique, not bc of prespend, but bc it’s best for me to shop with an SA who knows my taste; my budget; and what I already own.

My husband and I have separate accounts. He has spent 3:1 all in fine jewelry and rtw since last may and he has not received any offers. My sa keeps saying it is about time he should get something but nothing appears lol. To be fair, I am asking for a very specific bag (etoupe kelly 25) so it may be hard to come by. But yeah, as @880 said, for the smaller sizes, you need to spend more than 1:1

You guys are making me feel better (less alone) about still waiting for my 2022 bag. I’ve also had to shift my wish list around and expand my selections a bit - not necessarily a negative as I bumped up a bag that I would use in daily rotation (K28/25) rather than the pochette which I would only end up using occasionally.

But still waiting….

 

[880]

You guys are making me feel better (less alone) about still waiting for my 2022 bag. I’ve also had to shift my wish list around and expand my selections a bit - not necessarily a negative as I bumped up a bag that I would use in daily rotation (K28/25) rather than the pochette which I would only end up using occasionally.

But still waiting….

Ha, @Genie27, you are in good company! I still go back to look at your lovely and bright poncho.
My SA keeps asking us to go to the mens MtM event? Or shirt event, but when we ask about whether they can do a custom or MtM specific shirt for DH (one that they sold out of, that they originally said, sure, it can be made, they keep forgetting to confirm that it’s possible). I feel like saying, hey, we’re trying to buy something here lol.

 

[Tykhe]

Ha, @Genie27, you are in good company! I still go back to look at your lovely and bright poncho.
My SA keeps asking us to go to the mens MtM event? Or shirt event, but when we ask about whether they can do a custom or MtM specific shirt for DH (one that they sold out of, that they originally said, sure, it can be made, they keep forgetting to confirm that it’s possible). I feel like saying, hey, we’re trying to buy something here lol.

Lol my husband was invited to this event too. Too bad we are traveling that weekend otherwise we might have bumped into each other hah hah