Maintaining an H relationship

[papertiger]

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

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[lilflobowl]

Hmmm…..kickbacks usually means cash. And it’s before getting the quota bag, they expect cash. Heard that certain places the going kickback rate was usd1k.

if this is true it's likely that some resellers may have/have had such relationships; that would explain how they are able to access coveted bags to make available in their shops, and given the current reseller pricing USD 1k is pittance in the scheme of things.

 

[jimmyshoogirl]

if this is true it's likely that some resellers may have/have had such relationships; that would explain how they are able to access coveted bags to make available in their shops, and given the current reseller pricing USD 1k is pittance in the scheme of things.

Right! I’m floored that anyone would risk losing their job for 1k

 

[pinksandblues]

Right! I’m floored that anyone would risk losing their job for 1k

Our driver in Paris told us a story about a couple he drove before us. He described in detail what the couple wanted from H and how they went about getting it. Kickback way more than 1k was involved…. I was stunned. Our driver had no reason to make this up, just a conversation that came about as we talked about our visit..

 

[acrowcounted]

Our driver in Paris told us a story about a couple he drove before us. He described in detail what the couple wanted from H and how they went about getting it. Kickback way more than 1k was involved…. I was stunned. Our driver had no reason to make this up, just a conversation that came about as we talked about our visit..

Wow, would love to hear exactly how much?

 

[pinksandblues]

Wow, would love to hear exactly how much?

Sent a pm. Never know who is on this lol….

 

[luvbagsandpups]

Thanks for the replies. I’m going to try to spend atlest 3:1 by end of this year. Hopefully by next year I get something.

My home store is also BH. I've been wishing for a picotin 18 and a mini evelyn and my SA keeps telling me they aren't getting any in. It's been over a year and I've spent over $10k and I'm in the store every 2-3 months. I can't tell if he's stringing me along.

 

[momoc]

Yeah and just to be crystal clear H absolutely does not allow things like kickbacks and acts accordingly if found. Cash absolutely falls under that but also gifts of value would be the same idea. If you’ve done any corporate jobs where they make you sit through those boring mandatory HR training, there’s always that section on gifts and bribery. And it includes all the things that you’d see there (cash, gifts of value, favors…) Hence you see advice on here saying if you want to give a gift to your SA to show appreciation, make it not an individual gift (eg food that can be shared by their team) or make it something not of monetary value (eg a handwritten card).

Now that we are gossiping…I know of an SA who quit their job because they got married…to one of their clients lol. (yes there are corporate rules saying they can’t be in contact with clients privately)

 

[momoc]

My home store is also BH. I've been wishing for a picotin 18 and a mini evelyn and my SA keeps telling me they aren't getting any in. It's been over a year and I've spent over $10k and I'm in the store every 2-3 months. I can't tell if he's stringing me along.

My feeling is that even for a very competitive store this seems a bit much (granted I don’t shop at BH and even I know how crazy competitive that store is)…are you very specific about the spec of the Picotin and/or Evie?

 

[luvbagsandpups]

My feeling is that even for a very competitive store this seems a bit much (granted I don’t shop at BH and even I know how crazy competitive that store is)…are you very specific about the spec of the Picotin and/or Evie?

I only said not black. Would prefer a bright color in the blue or green family and would essentially consider anything. Is that not specific enough?

 

[FrenchNewbie]

Our driver in Paris told us a story about a couple he drove before us. He described in detail what the couple wanted from H and how they went about getting it. Kickback way more than 1k was involved…. I was stunned. Our driver had no reason to make this up, just a conversation that came about as we talked about our visit..

Wow! I would love to hear more about that story

 

[FrenchNewbie]

My home store is also BH. I've been wishing for a picotin 18 and a mini evelyn and my SA keeps telling me they aren't getting any in. It's been over a year and I've spent over $10k and I'm in the store every 2-3 months. I can't tell if he's stringing me along.

Yes. I would venture to say he is likely stringing you along, especially if you can't even get something as simple as a Picotin or Evelyne.

I personally know someone (C-list celeb) who shops at Beverly Hills, walked in and bought FIVE Hac a Dos's and a Birkin in the same visit!!

 

[ouicestmoi]

Wow! I would love to hear more about that story

Ditto!

 

[momoc]

I only said not black. Would prefer a bright color in the blue or green family and would essentially consider anything. Is that not specific enough?

I was more thinking of if you were very specific (ie only this color this hardware and nothing else) then I could potentially see that there has been none that he can get you. But it sounds like you are pretty open. So I agree that seems a bit too long to not able to get anything

 

[justdennis84]

My home store is also BH. I've been wishing for a picotin 18 and a mini evelyn and my SA keeps telling me they aren't getting any in. It's been over a year and I've spent over $10k and I'm in the store every 2-3 months. I can't tell if he's stringing me along.

I think a good relationship is both ways rather then you being flexible, friendly and patient. Given your situation I would tell him exactly that. In a friendly manner of course. And then maybe don’t visit for a while or shop online. That’s not Hermes specific, it’s just how I would handle it, if I feel service doesn’t meet reasonable expectations.

 

[textilegirl]

Definitely it used to be easier pre-pandemic. I think for some reason H has gotten so much more popular (there are some fun discussions around why - have seen theories such as people actually migrated towards the higher end of luxury brands because of the pandemic / economy, as they are perceived to be better “investment” and “hold value” - by the way I hate how resellers have been pushing that for H - plus all the social media that’s been making H more and more popular, perhaps silently encouraged by H themselves).

At the end of the day I think all the issues stem from the fundamental fact that there is profit that can be made because of the quota bags model. The difference between the bags’ retail price and reseller price means there is money involved. And when there’s money…

Hermes SAs are thus IMO tasked with something that shouldn’t have been a responsibility for a sales associate whose job description was supposed to be simply selling merchandise (while providing good customer service). I feel bad for them especially since I know sometimes they are stuck between clients and SM/corporate. And unfortunately, we are where we are today.

Going on a tangent again…not directed at you at all OP!…I don’t like it when people pretend to not see the reality of the situation, when it’s abundantly clear from pure mathematics (which calculates whether one likes it or not) that we have a situation. It is one thing to not like it and refuse to take part in it, in fact I admire that and also personally do not like the whole “game” thing, but trying to go “lalala it’s not real” is not going to help people who are here on this forum asking for advice, and I wish we can all recognize this and strive to be supportive and helpful.

Rant over

I really hope you can come across the bag that you want and happy that you passed B25 when it’s not for you - I hope that bag went to someone who truly appreciated it (instead of having been caught up with the H craze).

It's becoming increasingly difficult to have a conversation about the subject of this thread without coming up against the hard fact that the economics of this situation are seriously skewed, and at this point, not really in the client's favor. As @momoc has rightly identified, there's just too much money flowing in addition to the actual retail purchase, and it's supporting all sorts of other economic activity unrelated to a satisfying luxury shopping experience for the client. None of the players, including Hermes, have perfectly clean hands.