I would definitely be open to just getting a brand new one from the boutique because for the life of me, I can't find a square mini on the secondhand market for less than MSRP. They're all lambskin and definitely more than what I'd pay brand new from the boutique.
MINI~MINI~MINI! Mini Flap Thread
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I’d say go for a new one, maybe let your SA know so she/he can reserve one for you? The stock thread also has one pop up from time to time if you keep an eye on it
Thank you! It's my first purchase, so I'll have to go in and get myself an SA. Thank you for all of your help and advice @xsweetdreamx @niwk_bag21 !
Hi everybody! I am interested in getting a mini flap and have been told by a SA at my local boutique that the waitlist (about 400 people) is now closed and that I won't be able to get one since I am not on the waitlist. I am based in Calgary and want to know if I should just try getting one when I travel to New York in May or Barcelona in June. Do you happen to know if the boutiques in those cities have a similar policy as the boutique in Calgary?
By the way, I am looking to buy a brand new one from a store.
Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated! Thank you
By the way, I am looking to buy a brand new one from a store.
Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated! Thank you
hi. I'm from Calgary too. A waitlist of 400 people for a mini is quite something. But I'm not surprised. I waitied over two years before deciding to get a mini/now-small coco instead of a mini flap. That was time when caviar (which I put my name for) was discontinued for the minis. I was not (and still not) ready for Chanel's lambskin mini so went for the mini reissue later. I would try geting it from New York or Barcelona (if prices are better), or the airport if a boutique exists. When i transited via Paris in March 2020, there were minis at the lower price point CA$3500, when I returned three months later, it was closer to 5k at the Holt store. I would suggest calling the stores you are planning on visiting in those countries and see what they have to offer, waitlist or not. How exciting! All the best.Hi everybody! I am interested in getting a mini flap and have been told by a SA at my local boutique that the waitlist (about 400 people) is now closed and that I won't be able to get one since I am not on the waitlist. I am based in Calgary and want to know if I should just try getting one when I travel to New York in May or Barcelona in June. Do you happen to know if the boutiques in those cities have a similar policy as the boutique in Calgary?
By the way, I am looking to buy a brand new one from a store.
Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated! Thank you
I’m not sure about Chanel in Barcelona, but Chanel in the US no longer has waitlists or reserves for any handbags including the minis. It’s all first come first served now. So maybe try your luck in New York. There are so many boutiques in New York, so you’ll most likely be able to locate one. Good luck!Hi everybody! I am interested in getting a mini flap and have been told by a SA at my local boutique that the waitlist (about 400 people) is now closed and that I won't be able to get one since I am not on the waitlist. I am based in Calgary and want to know if I should just try getting one when I travel to New York in May or Barcelona in June. Do you happen to know if the boutiques in those cities have a similar policy as the boutique in Calgary?
By the way, I am looking to buy a brand new one from a store.
Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated! Thank you
Not only is there no wait list in the states but for classic (including mini) you have to buy in person. Minis are often released every other season and right now the next season 23A in May is going to have several styles coming. I would call the Chanel in the states you plan to visit, get an SA appointment and tell her/ him you're looking for a mini. That way, if one is available when you're there, they'll try to secure it for you.
In the US, at least where I'm located, it seems extremely difficult to find a mini. I must have spoken to at least 5-6 SA's who all said the same thing, it's a first come first serve, no holds, no wait-list. They come once in a few months are are sold withing a few minutes of opening. So unless I'm at the boutique everyday as soon as it opens, it seems unrealistic I will ever find one. Even if the SA says they've got one, it'll be gone by the time I make it out there. This is such a difficult process, I wish they had waitlists and gave everyone a fair chance.
You can tell your SA to keep you in mind when they receive a mini. Even though they cannot hold or reserve bags for you, they can temporarily hold it if you tell them you're arriving at the boutique. They just need approval from the manager to keep it for you. As soon as you tell your SA you'll take the bag, tell them that you're arriving to the boutique and ask them to hold it for you while you are on your way. You just have to come to the boutique within the day to buy in person.
Yes, it's quite a challenge here in the US. I stopped by a location where I don't normally shop (this was a few months ago) and the SA was quite frank about it when I asked if they had any minis. She said even if they did have one on hand, they had a priority waitlist and it's already full - so practically no chance for me to even get one from their store.
At least they had a waitlists for the local clients! Our location doesn't even do that.
True, but since the waitlist is already full, they just closed it. It will be very challenging for new clients to even try to get on a waitlist. Best way to get one is to be persistent and keep calling or stopping by the boutique for new stock.
Wow, I guess it depends on location. Every time I have walked into my boutique they either have minis on display or shown me minis hidden in the back and cabinets. I’ve seen all sorts of colors there and I turned down quite a few.
It may also have to do with your relationship with your SA and store. I have the most wonderful SA and we love chatting about everything, about their personal life and kids not just about Chanel. The store manager also knows me, too. My SA is extremely open to me about any minis they have and the last one I was after, in a highly coveted color, they checked through every shipment for me as soon as a shipment arrived in their boutique (on the days they were working), and many times they get multiple shipments in a day. As soon as they saw it, they grabbed my bag, and said they even hid the white box, with the mini inside, from their coworkers fresh out of the shipment. I don’t know where they hid it especially with cameras around (maybe their locker? lol) probably with the manager’s approval though, but they did until I made it into the store. I do live close by and always make it there in a very timely manner (like within the hour or two), which they definitely know about me; they also know that when I say I’m after something they know I am 100% buying and not returning, or nitpicking over cosmetic stitches, one flat quilt, the leather end sticking out of the chain strap, etc. When I made my purchases, all of the other SA’s are always staring daggers at us, visibly mad or jealous, even while helping their own customers from across the room. Especially a lot of times, they only receive one mini of a color for the entire store/collection and a lot of cities only have one store.
They don’t do any sort of waitlists at my store. And all of the many other stores I’ve talked to don’t do waitlists anymore either. I know many years ago they used to, I’ve been on some, (they also used to have direct lines to boutiques where an SA would answer the phone), but I’m pretty sure they did away with waitlists for a while. They don’t do reserves or holds on classics and minis, it is first come, first serve. But like someone else said, your SA can bend some rules and help you secure one if they like you or have a good relationship with you or just feel like going out of their way for you to help you get what you want without getting any commission in return for it. Of course, not all SA’s do things out of kindness and others are only about money and making commission, driven to only do things that will make them commission rather than building a relationship or providing exceptional customer service — so, it also depends on the one SA you find and luck.
Trust me, when you do find “the one”, try to stick to that SA and boutique. And it extremely helps 1000% to buy from your local store and get your face known to them and the manager. Even the security guards know who I am lol. But at the same time, I have also been offered minis from SA’s that I’ve met from boutiques nowhere close to where I live. I think with those, I was just very persistent and friendly.
I know everyone likes to say that Chanel doesn’t care or doesn’t care about their customers. But, I believe they actually do to some extent, to their good clients. I know for sure that they read the client surveys, you know the ones you randomly get from the store director, after you make a purchase from their boutique. I had a hiccup with another SA and brought that up in my survey and the store manager immediately reached out wanting to talk about it, wanting to improve, and sincerely apologizing. That one SA avoids me every time I walk into the store now lol. I’m a very blunt and honest person, and I don’t care if they ban me (which, to my surprise, it has actually been the total opposite: I’ve experienced a better relationship and more respect because of it) so I also mentioned other things I’ve noticed that they could improve on and I have definitely noticed many changes for the better at my store since then. I’ve seen this question asked about what luxury is/means before in other threads and on social media, and I think this right here, this is a part of the answer as to what luxury is.
It may also have to do with your relationship with your SA and store. I have the most wonderful SA and we love chatting about everything, about their personal life and kids not just about Chanel. The store manager also knows me, too. My SA is extremely open to me about any minis they have and the last one I was after, in a highly coveted color, they checked through every shipment for me as soon as a shipment arrived in their boutique (on the days they were working), and many times they get multiple shipments in a day. As soon as they saw it, they grabbed my bag, and said they even hid the white box, with the mini inside, from their coworkers fresh out of the shipment. I don’t know where they hid it especially with cameras around (maybe their locker? lol) probably with the manager’s approval though, but they did until I made it into the store. I do live close by and always make it there in a very timely manner (like within the hour or two), which they definitely know about me; they also know that when I say I’m after something they know I am 100% buying and not returning, or nitpicking over cosmetic stitches, one flat quilt, the leather end sticking out of the chain strap, etc. When I made my purchases, all of the other SA’s are always staring daggers at us, visibly mad or jealous, even while helping their own customers from across the room. Especially a lot of times, they only receive one mini of a color for the entire store/collection and a lot of cities only have one store.
They don’t do any sort of waitlists at my store. And all of the many other stores I’ve talked to don’t do waitlists anymore either. I know many years ago they used to, I’ve been on some, (they also used to have direct lines to boutiques where an SA would answer the phone), but I’m pretty sure they did away with waitlists for a while. They don’t do reserves or holds on classics and minis, it is first come, first serve. But like someone else said, your SA can bend some rules and help you secure one if they like you or have a good relationship with you or just feel like going out of their way for you to help you get what you want without getting any commission in return for it. Of course, not all SA’s do things out of kindness and others are only about money and making commission, driven to only do things that will make them commission rather than building a relationship or providing exceptional customer service — so, it also depends on the one SA you find and luck.
Trust me, when you do find “the one”, try to stick to that SA and boutique. And it extremely helps 1000% to buy from your local store and get your face known to them and the manager. Even the security guards know who I am lol. But at the same time, I have also been offered minis from SA’s that I’ve met from boutiques nowhere close to where I live. I think with those, I was just very persistent and friendly.
I know everyone likes to say that Chanel doesn’t care or doesn’t care about their customers. But, I believe they actually do to some extent, to their good clients. I know for sure that they read the client surveys, you know the ones you randomly get from the store director, after you make a purchase from their boutique. I had a hiccup with another SA and brought that up in my survey and the store manager immediately reached out wanting to talk about it, wanting to improve, and sincerely apologizing. That one SA avoids me every time I walk into the store now lol. I’m a very blunt and honest person, and I don’t care if they ban me (which, to my surprise, it has actually been the total opposite: I’ve experienced a better relationship and more respect because of it) so I also mentioned other things I’ve noticed that they could improve on and I have definitely noticed many changes for the better at my store since then. I’ve seen this question asked about what luxury is/means before in other threads and on social media, and I think this right here, this is a part of the answer as to what luxury is.
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I agree with all of this. And I do want to stress that you need to visit the boutiques in person and talk to the SAs there. My Chanel SA is just like yours. She is really helpful and tries her best to secure hard to find bags for me, including the minis. I have been offered multiple mini squares, rectangulars, 2.55s, and mini top handles. My boutiques also don't have reserves or waitlists. It's all first come first served. My SA even pulled a couple minis that were technically "held" for someone else for me and said that if I liked them, they are mine to take. I turned down quite a few minis before finding one in a color that I really loved.
I know there are some people who experienced less than ideal boutique visits and unfriendly SAs. I know I have. That's why when I finally found a lovely SA, I really appreciate them and I will only buy from them.
It's been my experience as well. Yes be nice and courteous to everyone including the security guard