I also go back and forth between two stores as my husband works in another city. When it comes to Birkins, I don't think they will transfer between stores, so if one comes up, I pounce. For everything else, my SA in San Francisco usually gets it, although sometimes it can take a while. I give her the chance first, as we have a relationship. But I wouldn't think of it as politics. In any other high end store, we would expect the sales associate to locate the item and get it to our store or have it shipped to us. If this can't be done in a reasonable time frame - and I think it differs for different bags - then you need to do what you need to do. Honestly, I think the smaller stores understand that.