That’s also my personal interpretation of the “new rule”. For new customers, as I’ve seen before, bags in less requested colors are most likely to be available.This makes total sense - and reflects what happens at other brands as well. let's be realistic: why would a SA give a highly desired bag to a customer with no purchase history (readossibly never to come back) over a well-established customer? You would need a lot of hope that this is the beginning of a long-term working relationship,and I guess that they try to figure out when they create your wish list entry. I am sure 'reading customers' is part of being a good SA (or client advisory as I heard someone say the other day)
New 'rules' for buying quota bags UK?
- Thread starter maxroxxherhandbags
- Start date
I think it would be very risky for a new client (who is not a major celebrity or known billionaire) with no relationship and no purchase history to wander into Hermes, put their name on a wishlist for a small B or K in pretty much any shade of pink, or a B30 Noir PHW, not spend another dime and never see the SA again and expect to get that bag within their lifetime.
Right now with Covid things are a bit up in the air (no pun intended
) so there may be strange happenings everywhere, but I wouldn’t count on it ever to be the case that to get a bag that everyone wants and is essentially competing for, that one will not have to be a client and spend some money. Loyalty, relationships and client service is a huge deal to H. Making purchase history irrelevant for coveted bags would so tick off their regular clients that all they would be left with is walk-ins who want B/K/C.
Right now with Covid things are a bit up in the air (no pun intended
) so there may be strange happenings everywhere, but I wouldn’t count on it ever to be the case that to get a bag that everyone wants and is essentially competing for, that one will not have to be a client and spend some money. Loyalty, relationships and client service is a huge deal to H. Making purchase history irrelevant for coveted bags would so tick off their regular clients that all they would be left with is walk-ins who want B/K/C.
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It’s a fantasy that pops up here every so often— the rumor that there‘s a new H policy that now one will not have to “buy all that other @%#” or mess around developing a relationship with a boutique or bother getting to know a SA, and that B/K/C will become so easily accessible that soon it will be just like walking into your local department store and picking one off the shelf.
H is extremely expensive, beautifully crafted luxury equestrian gear, custom saddles, housewares, Women’s clothing and accessories, Men’s clothing and accessories, small leather goods, toiletries, and yes, bags. Hermes has beautiful boutiques, loyal and passionate clients many of whom are extraordinarily wealthy, and a dedicated team of hardworking, professional sales associates. B/K/C is just a small part of the bigger picture. I doubt they would shoot themselves in the foot by doling out B/K/C to anyone that wants one with no spend and no purchase history—essentially allowing clients that aren’t interested in them, and that they aren’t interested in, to circumvent the rest of their brand.
H is extremely expensive, beautifully crafted luxury equestrian gear, custom saddles, housewares, Women’s clothing and accessories, Men’s clothing and accessories, small leather goods, toiletries, and yes, bags. Hermes has beautiful boutiques, loyal and passionate clients many of whom are extraordinarily wealthy, and a dedicated team of hardworking, professional sales associates. B/K/C is just a small part of the bigger picture. I doubt they would shoot themselves in the foot by doling out B/K/C to anyone that wants one with no spend and no purchase history—essentially allowing clients that aren’t interested in them, and that they aren’t interested in, to circumvent the rest of their brand.
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On a side note, I forgot to say in my previous posts that I don’t think resellers buy lots of items to build a profile, quite the opposite IMHO. That’s why their favorite route is Paris.
As someone who actually works in luxury sales I agree that reading the client is key to relationship building.This makes total sense - and reflects what happens at other brands as well. let's be realistic: why would a SA give a highly desired bag to a customer with no purchase history (read
In my job (pretty much like with Hermes I guess) I can tell who is a one off client (perhaps doing a big spend for anniversary, or special occasion) vs one who will become regular and loyal.
I would rather have a regular client who may not splurge huge ammounts on one visit but will spend steadily and every few months over time those clients I look out for during sale to pull items they may or do want or let them know that something they covert has come in store.
Over time that client is worth more to me and the business than someone doing a one off 7k spend-also its much more enjoyable for me helping someone I 'know'.
I'm pretty sure that the Hermes quota bag list will have a bias towards 'regulars' BUT having said that I also feel that someone who does not spend huge amounts but spends relatively regularly and has that client SA relationship will have a better chance of getting a quota bag than before when it was primarily 'spend driven' which has lead to many unused bags SLG's hitting the resale market as they were purchased with the aim of 'scoring' a quota bag-too many people have read 'bringing back the Birkin' and have got into playing 'the game'
I don’t quite agree that clients play the game and that it has any relation with the book. Good clients buy what they like, because they truly appreciate the brand and its high quality items. The book was about buying some scarfs, wearing a bracelet and being nice to the SAs. I don’t think this is the case anymore, even because one would need plenty of scarfs to reach 1:1. Besides, most of the SAs also know the book.
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That sounds more like wishful thinking than a new H rule. (And I don’t think H cares a fig about what happens on the resale market. So that wouldn’t lead them to create a new rule either.)
Not to get off topic so I’ll keep this related. There is the occasional obsession on this forum that H should or will do something about the resale market of authentic bags, including making new buying rules etc. Why would H care about the resale market of authentic H bags purchased legitimately from them? The high-priced resale of authentic H goods just makes new boutique items worth more. Just like when your neighbor sells his house for more than he paid, that’s a good thing—for you and for the builder! The value of your house and new build houses goes up because it says that house brand/style/area is extremely desirable.
Not only that, but just like with buying a house from a good builder or hiring a well-known architect, it becomes a client benefit. You know when you buy an authentic H bag that it is a good investment because it will frequently be worth more than you paid. That there’s a vibrant resale market for authentic bags is good for H and long-standing clients.
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I am sure it is unlikely Hermes will give away quota bags to people who are not clients.
But I do think they care about what is going on in the resale market. Hermes is here for the long run and I believe they think long term, very long term, so they would look at where things are going, how the market behaves, and how it may affect the brand down the line.
The resale market is getting saturated with Birkins and Kellys. The fact is, it is now easier to get one of these bags that it ever has been. They are all over Instagram. You find shops with them lined up like they were candy. Some models do take long to sell. Exclusivity is paramount to Hermes and they must worry to what extent this may affect their image going forward. The way many stores have defined client relations by mathematically objective criteria (1:1 or whatever) has also contributed to making the experience more mundane, less alluring. To devise tweakings in their selling system so that less popular bags end up in the closets of brand lovers rather than in the resellers pages, would make sense. Plus once people start getting to know the rules and playing them to their advantage, it is perhaps time to come up with a new game...
But I do think they care about what is going on in the resale market. Hermes is here for the long run and I believe they think long term, very long term, so they would look at where things are going, how the market behaves, and how it may affect the brand down the line.
The resale market is getting saturated with Birkins and Kellys. The fact is, it is now easier to get one of these bags that it ever has been. They are all over Instagram. You find shops with them lined up like they were candy. Some models do take long to sell. Exclusivity is paramount to Hermes and they must worry to what extent this may affect their image going forward. The way many stores have defined client relations by mathematically objective criteria (1:1 or whatever) has also contributed to making the experience more mundane, less alluring. To devise tweakings in their selling system so that less popular bags end up in the closets of brand lovers rather than in the resellers pages, would make sense. Plus once people start getting to know the rules and playing them to their advantage, it is perhaps time to come up with a new game...
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You’re right that they want to keep the resale prices high. All they have to do to reduce the B/K/C on the resale market is reduce the number of B/K/C that get sold through boutiques. Resale is an instantaneous barometer—like the roses in the vineyard or the canary in the coal mine. If the resale price drops, they only have to tighten the release of B/K/C through boutiques. This is why I seriously doubt they will ever, except at FSH, allow non-clients with no spend to simply place a wishlist for a highly desired bag. But just MO, and you know what they say about opinions!
+1 same opinion hereYou’re right that they want to keep the resale prices high. All they have to do to reduce the B/K/C on the resale market is reduce the number of B/K/C that get sold through boutiques. Resale is an instantaneous barometer—like the roses in the vineyard or the canary in the coal mine. If the resale price drops, they only have to tighten the release of B/K/C through boutiques. This is why I seriously doubt they will ever, except at FSH, allow non-clients with no spend to simply place a wishlist for a highly desired bag. But just MO, and you know what they say about opinions!
Agree with all the posts that discussed being loyal to the brand and spending on non-BKC before scoring a BKC should be the way to go to reward loyal customers but because of Covid, I did see with my own eyes (I went to the store with my friend who is a new customer) and hear about friends of friends scoring a B or K not having to spend much or waiting long (and good well sought after colors too!) much easier than before. While I am happy for my friends, I do feel like "I wish it was that easy for me to score my first B/K last year" ......
I agree with your opinion!You’re right that they want to keep the resale prices high. All they have to do to reduce the B/K/C on the resale market is reduce the number of B/K/C that get sold through boutiques. Resale is an instantaneous barometer—like the roses in the vineyard or the canary in the coal mine. If the resale price drops, they only have to tighten the release of B/K/C through boutiques. This is why I seriously doubt they will ever, except at FSH, allow non-clients with no spend to simply place a wishlist for a highly desired bag. But just MO, and you know what they say about opinions!
I’m pretty new to the H world, and have gotten so many fantastic advice from wonderful members here.
From what I’ve gathered from my SA at my local boutique in Canada, they are no longer rotating inventory between SA, but rather have a general list which they go down, hoping to make it more fair as I was inquiring about a realistic timeline for a K25. She said before when inventory gets rotated between the SAs, even if there are certain bags, if it’s not assigned to her she can’t do anything about it, but now it’s a list they go down. But in terms of pre spend, of course she wouldn’t say no more is required. I do believe that relationship is still required to be established, show your appreciation for the brand and then bring up wishlist. But I’m really new to all this so it’s just from my experience so far.
From what I’ve gathered from my SA at my local boutique in Canada, they are no longer rotating inventory between SA, but rather have a general list which they go down, hoping to make it more fair as I was inquiring about a realistic timeline for a K25. She said before when inventory gets rotated between the SAs, even if there are certain bags, if it’s not assigned to her she can’t do anything about it, but now it’s a list they go down. But in terms of pre spend, of course she wouldn’t say no more is required. I do believe that relationship is still required to be established, show your appreciation for the brand and then bring up wishlist. But I’m really new to all this so it’s just from my experience so far.
I didn’t mean they would worry about the resale price per se, but how what goes on in the resale market affects their image.All they have to do to reduce the B/K/C on the resale market is reduce the number of B/K/C that get sold through boutiques. Resale is an instantaneous barometer—like the roses in the vineyard or the canary in the coal mine. If the resale price drops, they only have to tighten the release of B/K/C through boutiques. This is why I seriously doubt they will ever, except at FSH, allow non-clients with no spend to simply place a wishlist for a highly desired bag. But just MO, and you know what they say about opinions!
The right Birkin with the right specifications is going to go quickly, but there are some Hermes bags now sitting on the shelf for months, their prices being crossed out in red for everyone to see in a bid to make them go. Yes, they are still more expensive than (elusive) retail, but it is not a good look.
I agree it does not make sense for them to sell to people who are not clients and just want the one bag, but it might make sense to devise ways to be more precise in matching the specifications of bags to clients‘ wishes aside the pure spend numbers competition that seems to have become the norm in some stores.