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.

 

[OnlyModa]

Hi, @OnlyModa, are you in Europe? I have the same experience with my SA and I’m wondering if they’re discouraged to search and hold popular items. When I ask for something, my SA will check stock on her phone. Most often, if it’s not available she will say so and make a note to “keep an eye out”. Mostly this does not materialise. Occasionally,
she can see if stock is arriving and will put my name against an item, however this has not happened since summer. I’ve got used to it and I know that she does her best within the parameters. I understand that H has introduced many policies this past year and are holding SAs to them.

Edit: my SA has ordered from online while I was in store once for fine jewellery and even then she had to get approval to do so.

No, I am in the US but the behaviors sounds identical. Even if she says she will watch for it, it never comes through. I do think other SAs are a bit more aggressive for their customers. Perhaps advocate for certain items when purchasing is done? I am not sure, but I remember her mentioning that something was already reserved for someone else and I thought to myself how that was never an option for me.

 

[OnlyModa]

@OnlyModa, I feel for you and that must be incredibly frustrating. Whenever I'm looking something that my store doesn't have my SA always says we can order/get that for you and happily gets it either online or via ways as @acrowcounted mentioned. I've never had a threshold limit for any time to be ordered. As for her not knowing what they're getting, my SA can tell what's been ordered for the store and if it's on the way, I'm always happy to wait until it gets to my home store to purchase. I would ask her again re: online orders cause that really shouldn't be an issue. They have a dedicated sales terminal at the store where they ring those items up separately. Good luck!

very valuable info, thank you. I do not think my SA knows how to use it. Half the time someone has to help her ringing things up even if it is a little out of the usual (I had to buy a new lock and it is rung differently etc). I think overall she is just set in her way.

 

[spidermann]

very valuable info, thank you. I do not think my SA knows how to use it. Half the time someone has to help her ringing things up even if it is a little out of the usual (I had to buy a new lock and it is rung differently etc). I think overall she is just set in her way.

Maybe we have the same SA? Mine is a little bit older and doesn’t seem to do well with technology Always has a younger SA help ring up things, or the few times we did an online order through her definitely needed assistance from other SAs. Reminds me of my mom sometimes. Also - she doesn’t really seem well-versed in the h colors ??? I noticed when asking for my wishlist colors, if I say kind of a non mainstream color like vert amande, she’s like huh?? What’s that?? She knows gold, black, etoupe, and etain though. For someone who’s been with h for 20+ years just kinda caught me by surprise, but I don’t mind it!

 

[OnlyModa]

Maybe we have the same SA? Mine is a little bit older and doesn’t seem to do well with technology Always has a younger SA help ring up things, or the few times we did an online order through her definitely needed assistance from other SAs. Reminds me of my mom sometimes. Also - she doesn’t really seem well-versed in the h colors ??? I noticed when asking for my wishlist colors, if I say kind of a non mainstream color like vert amande, she’s like huh?? What’s that?? She knows gold, black, etoupe, and etain though. For someone who’s been with h for 20+ years just kinda caught me by surprise, but I don’t mind it!

My goodness, maybe we do! I never ask for a specific color, I usually ask for general color palette, but I’ll test her out next time

 

[haute okole]

I’m so confused… so when you ask your SA, “hey do you have this item in my size?” what is her response if she doesn’t have it? Just a flat “no”? When she goes into her phone to check on the item, doesn’t she see where it is available? Usually when my SAs check their phone, they’ll say “I don’t have one here but I see one at another store and I can do a charge send and ship to you.” Or they’ll say, “oh not right now but I see some coming, I’ll tag one with your name.” If it’s not available at another physical store and my store is not getting any, then we’ll do a click to pay from the website if it’s available in the website. It’s very rare for them to do an actual transfer from a different store. I’ve had a few pieces of RTW and fine jewelry actually transferred, but very rarely and they usually do charge sends.

This interaction of checking the phone and determining availability and from which source happens almost every single time I shop! Whether it’s in person or remote. Unless they are showing me something they just received, then I am asking them for something I saw online, whether it was the H website or social media. And then they tell me which modality they will use to source the item for me… since you know, they like it when I buy stuff from them.

So I guess I’m confused why your SA can’t help you buy more stuff? She otherwise sounds really great.

But girlfriend, you are an established client who is NICE and LOVELY. You are also a known buyer with a phenomenal spend.

 

[WhiteBus]

However cosy, chatty and friendly any posters might wish to feel about sites such as this, they are international public forums and do not have the privacy of a conversation in a private room.
It is generally accepted that Hermes SAs do look at this site, so I would advice prudence in any comments you make.
Even if the SA in question does not see these exchanges, it is quite possible that some of her colleagues might.
I doubt she would warm towards you if she gathered that you looked upon her in such a negative manner.
She has possibly been identified already by another member.

 

[OnlyModa]

However cosy, chatty and friendly any posters might wish to feel about sites such as this, they are international public forums and do not have the privacy of a conversation in a private room.
It is generally accepted that Hermes SAs do look at this site, so I would advice prudence in any comments you make.
Even if the SA in question does not see these exchanges, it is quite possible that some of her colleagues might.
I doubt she would warm towards you if she gathered that you looked upon her in such a negative manner.
She has possibly been identified already by another member.

@WhiteBus Is this directed at me? If my SA is reading this, I hope they will understand that I am looking for guidance on how to be a better customer to this SA because I do like this SA very much even on a personal level. Having said that, you are correct, and thank you for the reminder

 

[BreezyE]

However cosy, chatty and friendly any posters might wish to feel about sites such as this, they are international public forums and do not have the privacy of a conversation in a private room.
It is generally accepted that Hermes SAs do look at this site, so I would advice prudence in any comments you make.
Even if the SA in question does not see these exchanges, it is quite possible that some of her colleagues might.
I doubt she would warm towards you if she gathered that you looked upon her in such a negative manner.
She has possibly been identified already by another member.

Not sure anyone was looking at anyone in a negative manner. Poster said it reminds them of their mom which sounds endearing to me.

 

[880]

H is getting odd about transfers. My main store just put in a new rule they won’t transfer from another store for an item valued below $X. I had wanted to buy something but it couldn’t be ordered for transfer because it was below the dollar threshold.

A jacket should be worth transferring for but some stores don’t like to give up their RTW and in some countries there’s a blackout period on transferring new RTW. I have run into this issue also.

Transfers have been mostly shut down over the last couple of years because they are a pain in the neck and the sending store loses credit for an item they were smart enough to order in return for a less saleable item. But charge sends have taken their place and should be an SAs immediate next step when an item isn’t available in the local store. Charge sends are relatively easy and the sending store is typically happy to take care of it as the sending store still gets full credit (rare instances of an item being the last one in stock and an SA at the sending store KNOWS their client Susan will definitely be buying it from the SA very soon, so the store “sits on” or blocks the send have happened but are relatively rare). Every SA should be happy to do a charge send and/or website order because they get full credit for the sale like any other. However, if it’s an item you want to see before you buy, then yeah, most SAs aren’t going to be much help with that these days.

They want you to be "loyal" to them/their store, but they won't transfer an item you want, to THEM, so they can get the credit for it.

@acrowcounted and @Miss Al answered most of the reasons why a sending store would block a transfer, and why a local SA may prefer not to initiate one. (They also distinguished between the riskier transfer and the commitment of a charge send. From a management POV, the SA’s top priority is to sell items currently in stock in the local store to clients who have come in and who have seen the goods IRL. From the SA POV: it causes more work to request the transfer; it messes with inventory; there is a heightened risk of returns/buyers remorse or simple rejection once an item is seen IRL. Every transfer potentially deprives a sending store‘s client of the opportunity to purchase and means that the local SA is not selling local stock.

If one has a long, reliable track record of purchasing without returns, an SA may be willing to put in the request, transfer, or world search, but horse trading and several layers of managerial approval may be required. (This happened to me with my 18 month delayed order of oxymore glassware). When my SA initiates a transfer, he checks to see if the sending store has a reputation for granting or delaying the request. If it’s [insert one particular store location that’s hard to deal with], he will simply tell me that it cannot be done. It’s not entirely up to one's personal SA, and alot has to do with institutional inertia, so I’m not sure why the SA should take the entirety of the blame lol. The general rule is there for a reason. There are plenty of clients who come in to browse without strict adherence to items that they’ve seen on instagram or on line, and who do not necessitate going through the hoops of special requests.

BTW, it’s obviously a different brand, but my chanel SA says she literally has to write a ton of email justifying a request like this, and it’s simply harder to take the time. Also, at least at my Chanel flagship, when a walk in comes in asking for X popular item, it’s something that makes SA’s groan inside due to scarcity, impossibility to source, or other.

ETA: I can only speak as to my H SA who says that he spends enough time dealing with demanding clients, and there is no way he would spend his limited free time away from his wife and daughter to surf the posts of crazies on TPF. he knows that I post for entertainment and he thinks mine is an amusing eccentricity. I believe when certain infamous instances on TPF take place, they might be informed during a staff meeting.

 

[nzilbz98]

I’ve been shopping with my SA at a very competitive location for about 3 years already. I’ve brought up my desire to purchase a B/K and gave them my wishlist a few months ago. I haven’t been offered anything yet and I’m not sure if it’s because I just need to spend more money or if it’s the relationship with the SA. They always timely respond to texts and they’re extremely pleasant to deal with so not sure if I should stay with them and spend more money or try to move to a less competitive store? Thoughts?

 

[addiCCted]

I’ve been shopping with my SA at a very competitive location for about 3 years already. I’ve brought up my desire to purchase a B/K and gave them my wishlist a few months ago. I haven’t been offered anything yet and I’m not sure if it’s because I just need to spend more money or if it’s the relationship with the SA. They always timely respond to texts and they’re extremely pleasant to deal with so not sure if I should stay with them and spend more money or try to move to a less competitive store? Thoughts?

What is your spend?

 

[880]

I’ve been shopping with my SA at a very competitive location for about 3 years already. I’ve brought up my desire to purchase a B/K and gave them my wishlist a few months ago. I haven’t been offered anything yet and I’m not sure if it’s because I just need to spend more money or if it’s the relationship with the SA. They always timely respond to texts and they’re extremely pleasant to deal with so not sure if I should stay with them and spend more money or try to move to a less competitive store? Thoughts?

Since you have such a pleasant relationship, perhaps ask them what they think of your chances and timetable
Dont spend just to spend. Only buy what you love. In this environment (post covid), even smaller boutiques are quite competitive, so only you can judge if you want to start over.

 

[nzilbz98]

What is your spend?

A little less than 1:1 but just created a wishlist in August

 

[880]

A little less than 1:1 but just created a wishlist in August

Perhaps before Covid SIP, when demand was lower and supply of coveted QBs was greater, 1X, including leather, would have been sufficient for a B35/K32. But, if you read this thread, and the one on Prespend, many of us in the US spend 2X-5X, excluding leather, to get the more coveted offers (25QB and under). In the bag shortages of summer 2022, some of us waited a year to get our bags. The clients who have longer tenure and wait, who have not received their first bags may delay your own wait, even in less competitive locations. Your SA cannot offer you the bag unless his SM allots it to him.

@FrenchNewbie , Hermes Corporate is happy for us to shop wherever and whenever we like, irrespective of loyalty. The majority of TPFers who choose store location loyalty simply do so to maximize their chances for a coveted QB. A long tenured SA might actually prefer to minimize their client list to regular-high spenders with substantial QB collections already in order to reduce the pressure to come up with the now scarce QB incentives/rewards. The nightmare relationship scenario for an SA is the relatively low ratio client (a moving target, but now perhaps under 2X) with high QB expectations. The reason why RTW and home clients are prioritized, is not simply to boost a single month’s commission. It is bc they can generally be relied upon to be regulars. Unfortunately for the rest of us, the top 1% of clients that are chased by premier luxury brands may simply have grown wealthier with greater tendency to spend during economic downturns.

ETA: it’s my understanding by reading H and Chanel Singapore threads, that the SAs there do read TPF. One Singapore TPF member that I know told me that her H SA quit luxury retail to take a job as the assistant of a high powered executive bc the pressure exerted by H clients was detrimental to her mental health.

 

[smoothsailor]

To save the hassle, I have H SAs in a few locations to get what I want. I’m sure that eases the pressure.