Paris trip for Hermes

[papertiger]

Please try to stay on topic. I realise because of the complexity of some of the posts members may veer off but in answer do not 'go there'.

For info and questions on US customs please post on the thread below: post https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/us-customs-discussion-airports-importing.905560/

Detaxing (to US from Europe) https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/best-way-to-detax-after-h-in-europe.178302/

or non-US destinations: https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/does-h-store-paris-wants-to-ship.605014/page-3

For questions relating to prices https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/reference-hermes-current-prices.102567/page-357

For traveling with boxes https://forum.purseblog.com/threads...me-hermes-boxes-when-traveling.1044553/page-5



I will leave this reminder as a sticky because tthis is often a thread that new members (or new Hermès lovers) post on - hopefully temporarily.

 

[Kkho]

Hi H babes! It's been a long time since I shopped in Paris due to my young kids.. it used to be a pleasant experience to shop at FSH.. then I chance upon this thread and this sounds so unpleasant the new system there, especially for those of us who are regulars at our home stores, I am def. sure I will get cross from queuing!

Hope all who queued get their dream B/ K bags..

I also heard from friends about being robbed of their B/ K bags whilst in Paris by syndicates..May I ask:

1) hermes will deliver our purchases to our hotels?
2) if you decide to bring back your purchase to your hotel, how safe is it to travel on the subway? And walking on the shopping streets with H shopping bags is safe?
3) any hotel with known theft issues to avoid?

Hermes will definitely deliver to your hotel. I've done it several times and all 3 stores do that.
You can ask for a white paper bag in stead of the bright orange. It's definitely more discreet.

I've always asked my hotel to leave my purchases in the room in stead of at the concierge or front desk. Never had to lock my bags or had anything stolen before. But pls lock up if you are worried about theft.

 

[lasttotheparty]

When I use the words "regular customers" I am referring to customers who shop at the store on a regular or frequent basis. I am not passing judgment on who is a good customer and who is not.

Regular customers with relationships with a SA are able to make appointments ahead of time or if they show up at the store to do their usual shopping and wish to inquire about bags I believe that they are being accommodated and fit in to see someone. I believe that's why the appointment times are constructed in a way to be flexible and thus the times change. No one has told me this. I'm basing it on my experience. It is easier for them to do their shopping and inquire about a bag without waiting in the long line. This new system also cleared out the long line that was literally taking over the first floor of the store and making for a very unpleasant shopping experience for those who wanted to purchase other items.

As for customers who are not regulars as I define the term above, others have pointed out that this is the only store in the world where you can walk in a buy a b/k without a purchase history. So if you choose to do that you choose to put up with the inconvenience of the line etc. Otherwise you go through the normal process at any other store of building a relationship over time. So being angry at the fsh system is in essence being angry at the whole model of Hermes bags which is based on scarcity.

They are prioritizing a more pleasant shopping experience for their regular customers while still allowing the excitement of being able to buy a bag spontaneously without a purchase history to the extent that it doesn't detract from service for their regular customers. The alternatives were to allow the old system to continue to the detriment of their regular clients and undoubtedly the decline of sales of other items due to the unpleasant conditions in the store or to use the model of all of the other stores (no relationship, no purchase history= no bag). I think they balanced these two objectives quite well and quite fairly.

A very eloquent and intelligent response. Thank you Pocketbook Pup! [emoji173]

 

[Sycomore]

When I use the words "regular customers" I am referring to customers who shop at the store on a regular or frequent basis. I am not passing judgment on who is a good customer and who is not.

Regular customers with relationships with a SA are able to make appointments ahead of time or if they show up at the store to do their usual shopping and wish to inquire about bags I believe that they are being accommodated and fit in to see someone. I believe that's why the appointment times are constructed in a way to be flexible and thus the times change. No one has told me this. I'm basing it on my experience. It is easier for them to do their shopping and inquire about a bag without waiting in the long line. This new system also cleared out the long line that was literally taking over the first floor of the store and making for a very unpleasant shopping experience for those who wanted to purchase other items.

As for customers who are not regulars as I define the term above, others have pointed out that this is the only store in the world where you can walk in a buy a b/k without a purchase history. So if you choose to do that you choose to put up with the inconvenience of the line etc. Otherwise you go through the normal process at any other store of building a relationship over time. So being angry at the fsh system is in essence being angry at the whole model of Hermes bags which is based on scarcity.

They are prioritizing a more pleasant shopping experience for their regular customers while still allowing the excitement of being able to buy a bag spontaneously without a purchase history to the extent that it doesn't detract from service for their regular customers. The alternatives were to allow the old system to continue to the detriment of their regular clients and undoubtedly the decline of sales of other items due to the unpleasant conditions in the store or to use the model of all of the other stores (no relationship, no purchase history= no bag). I think they balanced these two objectives quite well and quite fairly.

Thank you for formulating it so well, I understand your point of view, and you are right.
I am not angry, how could I be angry at a queuing system [emoji4][emoji4]
I was just giving my honest opinion and standing in line is not pleasant for me, I've done it but is not something I would do over and over again [emoji255]

 

[hstran76]

Ladies, just want to share my experience at FSH. First day we arrived Paris about 2pm, so after a refresh in the Hotel we went FSH at about 4pm. My friend speaks French, so I let her ask for an appointment, and luckily we got one. The appointment was 5:45 and it jumped to 6:20. We had some tea at Laduree where is 10 mins walk from FSH, and we were back to FSH at 6:15. It turned out our SA is a Japanese, she was quite straight forward asking me what bags you want. I were keen on a B or K in ostrich, so I said that and told her I also would like to see Kelly cut in croc, and a wallet in ostrich as well. Then she left to check and did not ask for my passport. It's about 5-10 mins she came back saying that there is no B or K in ostrich, they were all gone. She asked if we would like to see the wallets, and I said yes. After a quick look at the ostrich wallets ( a grey and orange in compact bern, and a dark green in kelly wallet), we decided to get the green kelly wallet. And we bought a blouse and a scarf. She walked us to the side door because at that time the main door is closed, and we asked if we can see her tomorrow. She said her name triple times and said go earlier tomorrow.

Second day, we queued there at 9am, and there were already 6-8 people before us on the side door. The main door there were 15-20 people. During waiting my friend got me some breakfast from Pret da Manger (5 mins walk from FSH), and it was so boring and physically standing there waiting for an hour and a half is a torture. We are spending thousands of euros in your store and you let me wait such a long time! What on Earth it is!? I hate the queue honestly. So at 10:30 it opened, security asked everyone on the side door to open their bags to check. I walked in and asked to see the Japanese SA, but we were there too early that there was someone could directly help us. So with such a rush in the morning in FSH, I have no time to think if I should insist to see the Japanese SA or directly see a new one. And the other sales that welcomed us just try to convince us to see a new SA (a disaster!). Then a Chinese SA with FAKE smiling face ( named Xue, DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM HER, she won't give you any b or k!) asked about my preferences and took my passport, after 10 mins she was back saying no B or K in ostrich or croc (even I did not ask for a croc, she seemed like don't ask me for croc again, I checked, no), and no kelly cut in croc either, and she said anything else you wanted to see. I rejected because I have no interest in anything else with queuing more than an hour but b or k. And it took us only 10 mins to leave after queuing such a long time.

Today is the last day we stay in Paris, I will queue there again, but it is the last time. I won't play the game with Hermes and FSH. I have to say I hate such a long-time waiting. I will let you guys know if I have luck today. Thanks!

I'm sorry you had such a bad experience this day, but congratulations on scoring the next day! I wanted to mention that Xue was my SA back in July 2016, and she offered me my first choice, rouge garance B35 with absolutely no prior purchase history. I thought she was incredibly sweet, but I'm sure

Ladies, just want to share my experience at FSH. First day we arrived Paris about 2pm, so after a refresh in the Hotel we went FSH at about 4pm. My friend speaks French, so I let her ask for an appointment, and luckily we got one. The appointment was 5:45 and it jumped to 6:20. We had some tea at Laduree where is 10 mins walk from FSH, and we were back to FSH at 6:15. It turned out our SA is a Japanese, she was quite straight forward asking me what bags you want. I were keen on a B or K in ostrich, so I said that and told her I also would like to see Kelly cut in croc, and a wallet in ostrich as well. Then she left to check and did not ask for my passport. It's about 5-10 mins she came back saying that there is no B or K in ostrich, they were all gone. She asked if we would like to see the wallets, and I said yes. After a quick look at the ostrich wallets ( a grey and orange in compact bern, and a dark green in kelly wallet), we decided to get the green kelly wallet. And we bought a blouse and a scarf. She walked us to the side door because at that time the main door is closed, and we asked if we can see her tomorrow. She said her name triple times and said go earlier tomorrow.

Second day, we queued there at 9am, and there were already 6-8 people before us on the side door. The main door there were 15-20 people. During waiting my friend got me some breakfast from Pret da Manger (5 mins walk from FSH), and it was so boring and physically standing there waiting for an hour and a half is a torture. We are spending thousands of euros in your store and you let me wait such a long time! What on Earth it is!? I hate the queue honestly. So at 10:30 it opened, security asked everyone on the side door to open their bags to check. I walked in and asked to see the Japanese SA, but we were there too early that there was someone could directly help us. So with such a rush in the morning in FSH, I have no time to think if I should insist to see the Japanese SA or directly see a new one. And the other sales that welcomed us just try to convince us to see a new SA (a disaster!). Then a Chinese SA with FAKE smiling face ( named Xue, DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM HER, she won't give you any b or k!) asked about my preferences and took my passport, after 10 mins she was back saying no B or K in ostrich or croc (even I did not ask for a croc, she seemed like don't ask me for croc again, I checked, no), and no kelly cut in croc either, and she said anything else you wanted to see. I rejected because I have no interest in anything else with queuing more than an hour but b or k. And it took us only 10 mins to leave after queuing such a long time.

Today is the last day we stay in Paris, I will queue there again, but it is the last time. I won't play the game with Hermes and FSH. I have to say I hate such a long-time waiting. I will let you guys know if I have luck today. Thanks!

Ladies, just want to share my experience at FSH. First day we arrived Paris about 2pm, so after a refresh in the Hotel we went FSH at about 4pm. My friend speaks French, so I let her ask for an appointment, and luckily we got one. The appointment was 5:45 and it jumped to 6:20. We had some tea at Laduree where is 10 mins walk from FSH, and we were back to FSH at 6:15. It turned out our SA is a Japanese, she was quite straight forward asking me what bags you want. I were keen on a B or K in ostrich, so I said that and told her I also would like to see Kelly cut in croc, and a wallet in ostrich as well. Then she left to check and did not ask for my passport. It's about 5-10 mins she came back saying that there is no B or K in ostrich, they were all gone. She asked if we would like to see the wallets, and I said yes. After a quick look at the ostrich wallets ( a grey and orange in compact bern, and a dark green in kelly wallet), we decided to get the green kelly wallet. And we bought a blouse and a scarf. She walked us to the side door because at that time the main door is closed, and we asked if we can see her tomorrow. She said her name triple times and said go earlier tomorrow.

Second day, we queued there at 9am, and there were already 6-8 people before us on the side door. The main door there were 15-20 people. During waiting my friend got me some breakfast from Pret da Manger (5 mins walk from FSH), and it was so boring and physically standing there waiting for an hour and a half is a torture. We are spending thousands of euros in your store and you let me wait such a long time! What on Earth it is!? I hate the queue honestly. So at 10:30 it opened, security asked everyone on the side door to open their bags to check. I walked in and asked to see the Japanese SA, but we were there too early that there was someone could directly help us. So with such a rush in the morning in FSH, I have no time to think if I should insist to see the Japanese SA or directly see a new one. And the other sales that welcomed us just try to convince us to see a new SA (a disaster!). Then a Chinese SA with FAKE smiling face ( named Xue, DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM HER, she won't give you any b or k!) asked about my preferences and took my passport, after 10 mins she was back saying no B or K in ostrich or croc (even I did not ask for a croc, she seemed like don't ask me for croc again, I checked, no), and no kelly cut in croc either, and she said anything else you wanted to see. I rejected because I have no interest in anything else with queuing more than an hour but b or k. And it took us only 10 mins to leave after queuing such a long time.

Today is the last day we stay in Paris, I will queue there again, but it is the last time. I won't play the game with Hermes and FSH. I have to say I hate such a long-time waiting. I will let you guys know if I have luck today. Thanks!

I'm sorry you had a bad experience this day, but am happy to hear that you scored your Birkin eventually! I wanted to comment on Xue. She was my SA in July and offered me my B35 in my first choice of color and hardware despite not having a previous purchase history, nor being dressed up whatsoever. In fact, the bag I carried into the store was a $35 theft-proof tourist purse. I found her to be incredibly sweet and helpful, and not at all fake or pretentious. I know that people can have different experiences with the same SA, but I just wanted to put out there that my experience with her was very positive.

 

[hstran76]

Yikes! Sorry for the fragmented reply and multiple quotes above. Apparently I'm not very good at this!

 

[Hermezzy]

May I ask a question to all of you Paris-savvy travelers? What hotel(s) would you recommend that are within a short walking distance of the fsh store? Thank you for any thoughts- feel free to direct/private message me if you wish.

 

[mfa777]

May I ask a question to all of you Paris-savvy travelers? What hotel(s) would you recommend that are within a short walking distance of the fsh store? Thank you for any thoughts- feel free to direct/private message me if you wish.

There are lots of them on that street where store is located, but the closest is Sofitel.

 

[Bibibala]

I will go to Paris , Strasbourg in June, wish me luck

 

[miss argile]

I will go to Paris , Strasbourg in June, wish me luck

Good

I will go to Paris , Strasbourg in June, wish me luck

Woooo good luck to us! Im going to paris/strasbourg in april

 

[Bibibala]

Good

Woooo good luck to us! Im going to paris/strasbourg in april

Good luck to us

 

[Cygne18]

Thank you for formulating it so well, I understand your point of view, and you are right.
I am not angry, how could I be angry at a queuing system [emoji4][emoji4]
I was just giving my honest opinion and standing in line is not pleasant for me, I've done it but is not something I would do over and over again [emoji255]

I understand how you feel, @Sycomore. It's incredibly stressful anticipating what may or may not happen when you meet your SA, but it was worth it in the end. And it WAS fun meeting other H fans and talking to them in the line. It made waiting go by a lot faster. I went in a warmer month though, so it was a lot more pleasant, weather-wise.

 

[prepster]

Ladies, just want to share my experience at FSH. First day we arrived Paris about 2pm, so after a refresh in the Hotel we went FSH at about 4pm. My friend speaks French, so I let her ask for an appointment, and luckily we got one. The appointment was 5:45 and it jumped to 6:20. We had some tea at Laduree where is 10 mins walk from FSH, and we were back to FSH at 6:15. It turned out our SA is a Japanese, she was quite straight forward asking me what bags you want. I were keen on a B or K in ostrich, so I said that and told her I also would like to see Kelly cut in croc, and a wallet in ostrich as well. Then she left to check and did not ask for my passport. It's about 5-10 mins she came back saying that there is no B or K in ostrich, they were all gone. She asked if we would like to see the wallets, and I said yes. After a quick look at the ostrich wallets ( a grey and orange in compact bern, and a dark green in kelly wallet), we decided to get the green kelly wallet. And we bought a blouse and a scarf. She walked us to the side door because at that time the main door is closed, and we asked if we can see her tomorrow. She said her name triple times and said go earlier tomorrow.

Second day, we queued there at 9am, and there were already 6-8 people before us on the side door. The main door there were 15-20 people. During waiting my friend got me some breakfast from Pret da Manger (5 mins walk from FSH), and it was so boring and physically standing there waiting for an hour and a half is a torture. We are spending thousands of euros in your store and you let me wait such a long time! What on Earth it is!? I hate the queue honestly. So at 10:30 it opened, security asked everyone on the side door to open their bags to check. I walked in and asked to see the Japanese SA, but we were there too early that there was someone could directly help us. So with such a rush in the morning in FSH, I have no time to think if I should insist to see the Japanese SA or directly see a new one. And the other sales that welcomed us just try to convince us to see a new SA (a disaster!). Then a Chinese SA with FAKE smiling face ( named Xue, DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM HER, she won't give you any b or k!) asked about my preferences and took my passport, after 10 mins she was back saying no B or K in ostrich or croc (even I did not ask for a croc, she seemed like don't ask me for croc again, I checked, no), and no kelly cut in croc either, and she said anything else you wanted to see. I rejected because I have no interest in anything else with queuing more than an hour but b or k. And it took us only 10 mins to leave after queuing such a long time.

Today is the last day we stay in Paris, I will queue there again, but it is the last time. I won't play the game with Hermes and FSH. I have to say I hate such a long-time waiting. I will let you guys know if I have luck today. Thanks!

Congratulations on getting your bag!

 

[incoralblue]

I'm sorry you had such a bad experience this day, but congratulations on scoring the next day! I wanted to mention that Xue was my SA back in July 2016, and she offered me my first choice, rouge garance B35 with absolutely no prior purchase history. I thought she was incredibly sweet, but I'm sure



I'm sorry you had a bad experience this day, but am happy to hear that you scored your Birkin eventually! I wanted to comment on Xue. She was my SA in July and offered me my B35 in my first choice of color and hardware despite not having a previous purchase history, nor being dressed up whatsoever. In fact, the bag I carried into the store was a $35 theft-proof tourist purse. I found her to be incredibly sweet and helpful, and not at all fake or pretentious. I know that people can have different experiences with the same SA, but I just wanted to put out there that my experience with her was very positive.

Thank you for saying this. I think it's unfair to generalize about an SA after one encounter - also who knows what their process is for offering/rejecting clients - sometimes it's not just up to the SA.

Also, I love reading the success stories - most especially those scoring a bag after initially being rejected.

 

[mistikat]

Ladies, just want to share my experience at FSH. First day we arrived Paris about 2pm, so after a refresh in the Hotel we went FSH at about 4pm. My friend speaks French, so I let her ask for an appointment, and luckily we got one. The appointment was 5:45 and it jumped to 6:20. We had some tea at Laduree where is 10 mins walk from FSH, and we were back to FSH at 6:15. It turned out our SA is a Japanese, she was quite straight forward asking me what bags you want. I were keen on a B or K in ostrich, so I said that and told her I also would like to see Kelly cut in croc, and a wallet in ostrich as well. Then she left to check and did not ask for my passport. It's about 5-10 mins she came back saying that there is no B or K in ostrich, they were all gone. She asked if we would like to see the wallets, and I said yes. After a quick look at the ostrich wallets ( a grey and orange in compact bern, and a dark green in kelly wallet), we decided to get the green kelly wallet. And we bought a blouse and a scarf. She walked us to the side door because at that time the main door is closed, and we asked if we can see her tomorrow. She said her name triple times and said go earlier tomorrow.

Second day, we queued there at 9am, and there were already 6-8 people before us on the side door. The main door there were 15-20 people. During waiting my friend got me some breakfast from Pret da Manger (5 mins walk from FSH), and it was so boring and physically standing there waiting for an hour and a half is a torture. We are spending thousands of euros in your store and you let me wait such a long time! What on Earth it is!? I hate the queue honestly. So at 10:30 it opened, security asked everyone on the side door to open their bags to check. I walked in and asked to see the Japanese SA, but we were there too early that there was someone could directly help us. So with such a rush in the morning in FSH, I have no time to think if I should insist to see the Japanese SA or directly see a new one. And the other sales that welcomed us just try to convince us to see a new SA (a disaster!). Then a Chinese SA with FAKE smiling face ( named Xue, DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM HER, she won't give you any b or k!) asked about my preferences and took my passport, after 10 mins she was back saying no B or K in ostrich or croc (even I did not ask for a croc, she seemed like don't ask me for croc again, I checked, no), and no kelly cut in croc either, and she said anything else you wanted to see. I rejected because I have no interest in anything else with queuing more than an hour but b or k. And it took us only 10 mins to leave after queuing such a long time.

Today is the last day we stay in Paris, I will queue there again, but it is the last time. I won't play the game with Hermes and FSH. I have to say I hate such a long-time waiting. I will let you guys know if I have luck today. Thanks!

It's a shame these visits didn't go the way you wished, but I don't understand why it's necessary to mention someone's nationality or race. Having said this several times in this thread I ask again that these kind of descriptors be left out of posts. Thank you.

 

[Hermezzy]

There are lots of them on that street where store is located, but the closest is Sofitel.

Thank you! Much appreciated-