Thanks so much!!Congrats This must really have been a dream visit. Enjoy your goods
Yes it was truly a dream come true. I am still on cloud 9 from it.
OMG!!! Was I Just Blessed by the Hermès Gods...?!?
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Yes it was truly a dream come true. I am still on cloud 9 from it.
Yes, when he told me that stuff, I had a million emotions all at once: I was shocked, humbled, grateful, enamored, validated...and most importantly surprised at some of the myths he debunked & the exceptions he was willing to make. I am genuinely surprised he opened up to me with some "hush hush" insider info.You’re going to kill me thinking about what the SA told you
Sounds like an amazing journey. I'd love to see pictures and get more details of the box leather bag you scored.Hello everyone. After reading these forums and threads, and getting over my anxiety and nervousness about the Paris lottery system…I wanted to share my personal experience of an impromptu trip to Paris I’m in the process of returning from. I felt like I hit the jackpot, so please bear with me for the lengthy post
:
Day 1 of shopping
H location: Sevres, morning
Outfit: high jewelry (Rolex, LV, Hermès, diamonds), H belt/scarf/twilly, Bally loafers, Banana Republic slacks, Prada button down and bag
Items offered: watch and 2x Rodeo (declined all)
Items purchased: some Petite h, scarf, some RTW, Rodeo Pegase
Interaction feeling: I really hit it off with the SA; he was super nice, cute, and patient. He made my first day in Paris really magical…he also gave me a few goodies and exceeded all my expectations. He showed me 100% attention and never made me feel rushed; he listened to my wants/needs/styles. We shared something very specific in common, which I felt solidified our relationship & made us click even more. While shopping, I casually mentioned I was celebrating a life event and H is my fave brand. Then while walking to checkout, there was this rude customer [there’s always one right!] who cut in front of me and then made a snide remark. I just smiled and nodded (rather then engaging with him). Then, out of sheer luck, I ran into a very VIP Hermès person who witnessed what the rude customer did & apologized for that and asked how the trip was going. I casually mentioned I loved the experience so far and was celebrating a milestone, but had been unsuccessful at getting a lottery appt. And out of sheer luck and blessings from the Hermès gods, the VIP confirmed a few things with my SA and the leather desk & granted me a leather appointment on the spot! I was in so much SHOCK, I didn't even know what to do. I CRIED right there in the store.
...took some purchases and had some delivered to hotel suite, and did touristy things/dinner
Day 2
H location: FSH, morning
Outfit: high jewelry (Breitling, different configuration of LV, Hermès and diamond) different H belt, Prada loafers, Ralph Lauren dress shorts & polo, Versace bag
Items requested: SLGs and RTW
Items offered: crocodile Calvi (declined), crocodile KTG (declined), RTW (declined/wrong sizes)
Items purchased: custom/monogrammed items, table and writing items, jewelry, Rodeo Pegase
Interaction feeling: The SA was also really nice and helpful; he really offered me some great advice and really tried his best to be as accommodating as possible. He paid me attention and also did not make me feel rushed, so I tried to purchase as much stuff from his as possible because he made the shopping experience pleasant. But FSH was bananas, and was so chaotic; I did not feel comfortable in the store so I was very frantic and distracted.
...had Items delivered to hotel suite
Day 2 (continued)
H Location: Sevres, noon-ish
Outfit: Same as above, but went back to hotel and switched to Versace earrings and D&G bag
Items requested: backpack, Evelyne and RTW
Items purchased: rare SLGs
Interaction feeling: I was really feeling on cloud nine now and so blessed to even have this opportunity. To my surprise, the VIP who made the appointment possible was there and when they spotted me they waved & called down to the leather desk and said something to them on the phone. I tried to act nonchalant and didn’t want to seem desperate or weird so I looked away as if I was clueless the phone conversation was happening. I forgot to mention: the prior day the leather manager was very cold to me when I tried asking if there was a cancellation. But this day there was a different leather manager on duty as it was a much warmer greeting. So I got introduced to my leather SA who was very straightforward and 'down-to-business' and said "how can I help you?" DH was with me and I nervously said "well if at all possible we both would like a bag". He looked at us like “wtf”, but exactly as many have reported on the forum, he started to jot notes in his phone of sizes/color/leather & also asked if there were any colors we didn’t like. I remember people saying how the SA will go away for only 10-30 minutes but for what seems like an eternity, so as soon as he stepped away I timed it. He came back in less than 5 minutes with no box and my heart SANK! He said “I’m still looking, but do you want a refreshment while you wait?” We accepted and I started the time over. This time it was about another 5 or so minutes and he came back empty handed again. I wanted to vomit. He said “I don’t have the bag either of you want…” but as I saw he didn’t even come out with possible alternatives, I just put my head down and wanted to implode on the spot. I feel like I blacked out & didn’t even hear what he said after that. But somehow I tuned back in on the part where he said “but I might have an alternative”.
He motioned for us to follow him to a desk. Suddenly my heart started beating again. He said "I can do a special order if you’d like to come back to Paris to pick it up". As I sat down, I excitedly thought to myself “EXCUSE ME!?!?, a SPECIAL ORDER?” We graciously accepted & agreed. Then, as if that excitement wasn’t already wild enough, he apologized again and says "since I don’t have either of the bags, I will make an exception and let both of you place special orders". I almost fell out of the chair and died and went to heaven. I started breathing heavily and it must have been noticeable; he asked me if I was ok and wanted some water. I was so jittery and could not believe what was going on! He got 'the box' and the laptop and we proceed to customize our QBs. It was the most exciting and exhilarating and refreshing and surreal experience ever. I could not believe we went from no appointment at allàTWO special orders all in the same day. He was so extremely patient and lightened up throughout the appointment; we even got him to chuckle a few times! He was so accommodating, always making sure our glasses stayed full and he even let us try on every single size/color/leather of the bags that were on display in the store (which I thought was not allowed) to make sure we made the right choices. We thanked him profusely!
...after that, went to briefly shop at Chanel, LV, Moynat, etc. and did touristy things/dinner
Day 3
H location: George V, morning
Outfit: more relaxed: lower jewelry (might have had a Citizen or Bulova watch, simple diamond studs), jeans, collared shirt, nice sneakers
Items offered: SLGs (purchased a few and declined most)
Items purchased: QB in box
Interaction feeling: [this is a funny story, but interesting in that it’s all about timing and persistence] I talked with the front desk and leather desk when I first entered. I made sure to be very “smiley” and friendly. Apparently one of the leather SAs had a few minutes of free time so she asked me if I needed help. I told her I wanted some SLGs for gifts and also just went out on a limb by telling her I wanted a certain bag. She told me I needed an appointment and she could not help me with that. I overheard other ladies asking for various bags at their appointments and asking about availability, and getting turned down (I also overheard the infamous “I am from Dubai” story and kind of chuckled to myself). So I walked around with her and showed interest in a few things and recited everything I knew about Hermes and their leathers, as I picked out some gifts. She kind of lightened up after that and I thought to myself “oh what the heck” and asked about the bag again. She reiterated “sorry I don’t have anything”. I was visibly very sad & she must have picked up on my kind persistence, then she said “well do you have a Paris profile?” I gave her my info and she looked impressed when she read the screen; she said she had to step away to check something. She walked away for about 3 minutes then returned with a box and said “please follow me”. I was in utter shock! WTH was happening?!?! We went upstairs to some obscure corner and there she presented me with this beautiful heavenly grail. The moment she took it out from its cocoon, I almost died. She said “I had to check with my colleague and I am so sorry this is all I have, but it’s in…” Before she could finish her sentence, I belted out “BOX leather!!!??!!!” She smiled (in amazement that I instantly recognized the leather) & said yes, and something along the lines that she had never seen one before or hadn’t seen one in person before. I was still in such disbelief that I didn’t really hear exactly what she said. I just said “Yes I’ll take it! Thank you!”
...went back to hotel & did touristy things
Then went back to George V later that day, same outfit…this visit was a complete waste of time! Alot of the staff was cold and rude. The SA assigned to me, was basically being a nasty ***** and was making faces to her colleagues (when she thought I wasn't looking) as I asked for stuff. She didn’t even bother to get to know me or ask how my day was or even look up my profile. Being the straightforward person I am, when I caught her in the act, I asked if there was something I was missing or did she need to divert her attention elsewhere. She made some B.S. excuse about her colleagues were waiting for their appointments. But what did that have to do with me and her??? I almost wanted to say “so you don’t take me seriously, so you have no clue what I just got this morning or what I ordered yesterday, do you???” But I kept it classy, smiled at her, and thanked her for “helping me”. Needless to say that interaction did not go well and was unsuccessful. I then went across the street to Goyard to purchase an item I had been eyeing since the pandemic, but they were closing and I didn't want to feel rushed as I shopped for other items, so I told them I'd come back earlier in another day.
Day 4
H location: George V (went again since it’s so close to Champs-Elysses) and then back to Sevres
Outfit: kind of simplistic: high jewelry (Rolex, simple diamond studs) different H belt, H sneakers, khaki shorts & button down
Items requested: tried for an Evelyne, and RTW
Items offered: large homeware that would have been impossible to take on the plane (declined)
Items purchased: SLG, beauty items, some belts, some more petite h, small/medium homeware
Interaction feeling: George V SA was decent, but she was kind of weird. I felt like she was rushing me, so I just got an SLG and left. Went again to Sevres and saw my SA from the prior days. I shopped some more with him and he really opened up even more; it’s like we’d known each other for years. He told me some insider stuff that many people don’t know about and he asked that I not share it---it was very insightful and validated/debunked a lot of the rumors/gossip I hear on here. I also want to add that, just like the previous days, he did a recap of everything in my "cart" before I purchased so to make sure we weren't leaving anything out or he hadn't mistakenly added anything (which I thought was a nice touch!). He also told me some other exceptions/courtesies he could do for me that is generally unspoken of or not offered to many clients. I was very impressed and surprised and gracious for those offers, and to hear things straight from the horse’s mouth (no pun intended). We gave big hugs and off we were!!
Day 5
H location: CDG Tax-Free
Outfit: comfortable travel: basic jewelry, jeans, t-shirt, On sneakers
Items requested: tried again for an Evelyne
Items purchased: just picked up a beautiful limited edition SLG in a not-so-common leather
Interaction feeling: I wanted to try my luck one last time on my way out of Paris. The SA was 'ok'. Not rude, but not necessarily helpful either, but she was also kind of weird. I felt like she was also rushing me and pushing me heavily to buy some silk. I was not looking for that and I had already informed her of what I wanted; but apparently she either wasn't listening or wasn't interested in selling it to me, so I just got an SLG and left.
So all in all, most everyone we came in contact with was very helpful, warm, sincere, and genuinely apologetic when they couldn’t provide something I wanted. I will say I think it helped that we smiled and always entered the stores attempting to speak French and giving a proper greeting of the day. I took the advice & listened to helpful tips from @jk79906, @missrxx and others, so thank you for your inspiring stories! I added the attire I was wearing just to provide context, because many people on here have mentioned that (unfortunately) they judge you based on what you wear and that could have bearing on how much they’re willing to help you. I found that to be somewhat accurate. Also purchase history seems to have some bearing on what you are offered, along with your smile/attitude/body language.
The trip was truly a blessing, eye-opening, magical and life-changing!!
Congrats! I am so thrilled for you! It can be magical! I hope you enjoyed your celebrations in Paris!Hello everyone. After reading these forums and threads, and getting over my anxiety and nervousness about the Paris lottery system…I wanted to share my personal experience of an impromptu trip to Paris I’m in the process of returning from. I felt like I hit the jackpot
Day 1 of shopping
H location: Sevres, morning
Outfit: high jewelry (Rolex, LV, Hermès, diamonds), H belt/scarf/twilly, Bally loafers, Banana Republic slacks, Prada button down and bag
Items offered: watch and 2x Rodeo (declined all)
Items purchased: some Petite h, scarf, some RTW, Rodeo Pegase
Interaction feeling: I really hit it off with the SA; he was super nice, cute, and patient. He made my first day in Paris really magical…he also gave me a few goodies and exceeded all my expectations. He showed me 100% attention and never made me feel rushed; he listened to my wants/needs/styles. We shared something very specific in common, which I felt solidified our relationship & made us click even more. While shopping, I casually mentioned I was celebrating a life event and H is my fave brand. Then while walking to checkout, there was this rude customer [there’s always one right!] who cut in front of me and then made a snide remark. I just smiled and nodded (rather then engaging with him). Then, out of sheer luck, I ran into a very VIP Hermès person who witnessed what the rude customer did & apologized for that and asked how the trip was going. I casually mentioned I loved the experience so far and was celebrating a milestone, but had been unsuccessful at getting a lottery appt. And out of sheer luck and blessings from the Hermès gods, the VIP confirmed a few things with my SA and the leather desk & granted me a leather appointment on the spot! I was in so much SHOCK, I didn't even know what to do. I CRIED right there in the store.
...took some purchases and had some delivered to hotel suite, and did touristy things/dinner
Day 2
H location: FSH, morning
Outfit: high jewelry (Breitling, different configuration of LV, Hermès and diamond) different H belt, Prada loafers, Ralph Lauren dress shorts & polo, Versace bag
Items requested: SLGs and RTW
Items offered: crocodile Calvi (declined), crocodile KTG (declined), RTW (declined/wrong sizes)
Items purchased: custom/monogrammed items, table and writing items, jewelry, Rodeo Pegase
Interaction feeling: The SA was also really nice and helpful; he really offered me some great advice and really tried his best to be as accommodating as possible. He paid me attention and also did not make me feel rushed, so I tried to purchase as much stuff from his as possible because he made the shopping experience pleasant. But FSH was bananas, and was so chaotic; I did not feel comfortable in the store so I was very frantic and distracted.
...had Items delivered to hotel suite
Day 2 (continued)
H Location: Sevres, noon-ish
Outfit: Same as above, but went back to hotel and switched to Versace earrings and D&G bag
Items requested: backpack, Evelyne and RTW
Items purchased: rare SLGs
Interaction feeling: I was really feeling on cloud nine now and so blessed to even have this opportunity. To my surprise, the VIP who made the appointment possible was there and when they spotted me they waved & called down to the leather desk and said something to them on the phone. I tried to act nonchalant and didn’t want to seem desperate or weird so I looked away as if I was clueless the phone conversation was happening. I forgot to mention: the prior day the leather manager was very cold to me when I tried asking if there was a cancellation. But this day there was a different leather manager on duty as it was a much warmer greeting. So I got introduced to my leather SA who was very straightforward and 'down-to-business' and said "how can I help you?" DH was with me and I nervously said "well if at all possible we both would like a bag". He looked at us like “wtf”, but exactly as many have reported on the forum, he started to jot notes in his phone of sizes/color/leather & also asked if there were any colors we didn’t like. I remember people saying how the SA will go away for only 10-30 minutes but for what seems like an eternity, so as soon as he stepped away I timed it. He came back in less than 5 minutes with no box and my heart SANK! He said “I’m still looking, but do you want a refreshment while you wait?” We accepted and I started the time over. This time it was about another 5 or so minutes and he came back empty handed again. I wanted to vomit. He said “I don’t have the bag either of you want…” but as I saw he didn’t even come out with possible alternatives, I just put my head down and wanted to implode on the spot. I feel like I blacked out & didn’t even hear what he said after that. But somehow I tuned back in on the part where he said “but I might have an alternative”.
He motioned for us to follow him to a desk. Suddenly my heart started beating again. He said "I can do a special order if you’d like to come back to Paris to pick it up". As I sat down, I excitedly thought to myself “EXCUSE ME!?!?, a SPECIAL ORDER?” We graciously accepted & agreed. Then, as if that excitement wasn’t already wild enough, he apologized again and says "since I don’t have either of the bags, I will make an exception and let both of you place special orders". I almost fell out of the chair and died and went to heaven. I started breathing heavily and it must have been noticeable; he asked me if I was ok and wanted some water. I was so jittery and could not believe what was going on! He got 'the box' and the laptop and we proceed to customize our QBs. It was the most exciting and exhilarating and refreshing and surreal experience ever. I could not believe we went from no appointment at allàTWO special orders all in the same day. He was so extremely patient and lightened up throughout the appointment; we even got him to chuckle a few times! He was so accommodating, always making sure our glasses stayed full and he even let us try on every single size/color/leather of the bags that were on display in the store (which I thought was not allowed) to make sure we made the right choices. We thanked him profusely!
...after that, went to briefly shop at Chanel, LV, Moynat, etc. and did touristy things/dinner
Day 3
H location: George V, morning
Outfit: more relaxed: lower jewelry (might have had a Citizen or Bulova watch, simple diamond studs), jeans, collared shirt, nice sneakers
Items offered: SLGs (purchased a few and declined most)
Items purchased: QB in box
Interaction feeling: [this is a funny story, but interesting in that it’s all about timing and persistence] I talked with the front desk and leather desk when I first entered. I made sure to be very “smiley” and friendly. Apparently one of the leather SAs had a few minutes of free time so she asked me if I needed help. I told her I wanted some SLGs for gifts and also just went out on a limb by telling her I wanted a certain bag. She told me I needed an appointment and she could not help me with that. I overheard other ladies asking for various bags at their appointments and asking about availability, and getting turned down (I also overheard the infamous “I am from Dubai” story and kind of chuckled to myself). So I walked around with her and showed interest in a few things and recited everything I knew about Hermes and their leathers, as I picked out some gifts. She kind of lightened up after that and I thought to myself “oh what the heck” and asked about the bag again. She reiterated “sorry I don’t have anything”. I was visibly very sad & she must have picked up on my kind persistence, then she said “well do you have a Paris profile?” I gave her my info and she looked impressed when she read the screen; she said she had to step away to check something. She walked away for about 3 minutes then returned with a box and said “please follow me”. I was in utter shock! WTH was happening?!?! We went upstairs to some obscure corner and there she presented me with this beautiful heavenly grail. The moment she took it out from its cocoon, I almost died. She said “I had to check with my colleague and I am so sorry this is all I have, but it’s in…” Before she could finish her sentence, I belted out “BOX leather!!!??!!!” She smiled (in amazement that I instantly recognized the leather) & said yes, and something along the lines that she had never seen one before or hadn’t seen one in person before. I was still in such disbelief that I didn’t really hear exactly what she said. I just said “Yes I’ll take it! Thank you!”
...went back to hotel & did touristy things
Then went back to George V later that day, same outfit…this visit was a complete waste of time! Alot of the staff was cold and rude. The SA assigned to me, was basically being a nasty ***** and was making faces to her colleagues (when she thought I wasn't looking) as I asked for stuff. She didn’t even bother to get to know me or ask how my day was or even look up my profile. Being the straightforward person I am, when I caught her in the act, I asked if there was something I was missing or did she need to divert her attention elsewhere. She made some B.S. excuse about her colleagues were waiting for their appointments. But what did that have to do with me and her??? I almost wanted to say “so you don’t take me seriously, so you have no clue what I just got this morning or what I ordered yesterday, do you???” But I kept it classy, smiled at her, and thanked her for “helping me”. Needless to say that interaction did not go well and was unsuccessful. I then went across the street to Goyard to purchase an item I had been eyeing since the pandemic, but they were closing and I didn't want to feel rushed as I shopped for other items, so I told them I'd come back earlier in another day.
Day 4
H location: George V (went again since it’s so close to Champs-Elysses) and then back to Sevres
Outfit: kind of simplistic: high jewelry (Rolex, simple diamond studs) different H belt, H sneakers, khaki shorts & button down
Items requested: tried for an Evelyne
Items offered: large homeware that would have been impossible to take on the plane (declined)
Items purchased: SLG, beauty items, some belts, some more petite h, small/medium homeware
Interaction feeling: George V SA was decent, but she was kind of weird. I felt like she was rushing me, so I just got an SLG and left. Went again to Sevres and saw my SA from the prior days. I shopped some more with him and he really opened up even more; it’s like we’d known each other for years. He told me some insider stuff that many people don’t know about and he asked that I not share it---it was very insightful and validated/debunked a lot of the rumors/gossip I hear on here. I also want to add that, just like the previous days, he did a recap of everything in my "cart" before I purchased so to make sure we weren't leaving anything out or he hadn't mistakenly added anything (which I thought was a nice touch!). He also told me some other exceptions/courtesies he could do for me that is generally unspoken of or not offered to many clients. I was very impressed and surprised and gracious for those offers, and to hear things straight from the horse’s mouth (no pun intended). We gave big hugs and off we were!!
Day 5
H location: CDG Tax-Free
Outfit: comfortable travel: basic jewelry, jeans, t-shirt, On sneakers
Items requested: tried again for an Evelyne
Items purchased: just picked up a beautiful limited edition SLG in a not-so-common leather
Interaction feeling: I wanted to try my luck one last time on my way out of Paris. The SA was 'ok'. Not rude, but not necessarily helpful either, but she was also kind of weird. I felt like she was also rushing me and pushing me heavily to buy some silk. I was not looking for that and I had already informed her of what I wanted; but apparently she either wasn't listening or wasn't interested in selling it to me, so I just got an SLG and left.
So all in all, most everyone we came in contact with was very helpful, warm, sincere, and genuinely apologetic when they couldn’t provide something I wanted. I will say I think it helped that we smiled and always entered the stores attempting to speak French and giving a proper greeting of the day. I took the advice & listened to helpful tips from @jk79906, @missrxx and others, so thank you for your inspiring stories! I added the attire I was wearing just to provide context, because many people on here have mentioned that (unfortunately) they judge you based on what you wear and that could have bearing on how much they’re willing to help you. I found that to be somewhat accurate. Also purchase history seems to have some bearing on what you are offered, along with your smile/attitude/body language.
The trip was truly a blessing, eye-opening, magical and life-changing!!
Congratulations! You have SO bags and so much more to look forward to!! Sevres store is my favorite. It’s so amazing that you are able to connect with someone there. =)
Blessed indeed! I just saw your marvelous story from your trip to Paris. How wonderful - so glad you got what you wanted. Smiles and kindness are always wonderful - and what a great trip!! 
Thank you both so much.Blessed indeed! I just saw your marvelous story from your trip to Paris. How wonderful - so glad you got what you wanted. Smiles and kindness are always wonderful - and what a great trip!!
It was truly an amazing trip, I'll never forget!
Congratulations on your 2 SO bags and QB offer! You wrote your story so well! Looks like a very successful H trip 
Thank you so much! It was a heavenly experience!Congratulations on your 2 SO bags and QB offer! You wrote your story so well! Looks like a very successful H trip