Hi All,
I just wanted to share my experience. This forum and the current offers section was a tremendous help in planning my trip to Paris. I warn you in advance the post is a little long but might be helpful as I was successful in getting my bag but not through the regular channels. I had no buying history in Europe.
We are staying at a hotel on George V, just across the street from Hermes, which was planned for easy access. I tried before I left for an appointment at FSH but was declined and signed up for the next day. Arrived on Monday and first stop was Hermes George V, the shop was beautiful but very busy. I had to wait for almost 30 minutes for a sales associate to be available. I first asked about the coin purses, as I wanted the origami coin but was told that was no longer in production and was replaced with a new mini bastia coin purse and it was her favourite. I asked if they had it in Rasin, yes but only 1 as it had just come in. I then asked if they had any purses in the Raisin, she looked asked what I was looking for and I told her a Kelly, she looted on her phone and I was pretty sure she had one, she asked what size (25-35) and HW (no preference) and she proceeded to offer me a Piocitin. I declined, I told her I was staying at a nearby hotel and would be in the city for a few days and would try again. She asked if wanted the coin purse and I said no as I was hoping to get one in a colour to match my new purse. Went back to the hotel and got the declined appointment message from FSH.
The next morning I went down to the hotel concierge to get some assistance with planning our stay in Paris. Concierge was fantastic in helping to arrange our excursions and providing suggestions. She asked about our schedule and when I told her that I was waiting to get an appointment confirmation for FSH, as I really wanted to get a Kelly on this trip she suggested I go across the street to George V. She told me FSH was a very unpleasant experience and should be avoided and guaranteed me I would have a much better experience at George V. She texted her contact asked when I wanted to go as they would see me at anytime that was convenient for me, I asked to go immediately.
When I arrived at the store the manager greeted me at the door and introduced me to my SA, who brought me back to a desk area we chatted for 15 to 20 minutes about the recent protest that had decimated the area and then she proceeded to get the details of what I wanted. She went to the stock room and then asked me to follow her upstairs to a private room where she showed me my new Raisin Kelly 32 retourne with Palladium HW, Clamence leather. She apologized that she did not have a seller style which I really wanted but was not a deal breaker. She then brought me a selection of Twilly's (selected 1) and an insert (declined) and I also purchased the coin purse and a matching card holder. In order not to take up any more of my time she told me she would package my purchases and have them delivered to my hotel. She gave me her card and told me to contact her before I come next time and they will do their best to have my selections ready for me when I arrive, wow! So excited to make this contact! I was in and out in less than 2 hours and it was a fantastic experience!
So my advice would be to talk to your hotel concierge's as they may be most helpful in getting you a coveted appointment. It was clear from the moment I arrived that I was going to get a bag. Another advantage is the time was at my discretion and there was no hanging out waiting for an SA to become available. The George V store is beautiful it just re-opened in November.
Interestingly, I got a confirmation that night for FSH (after 3 attempts) and after my purchase so not sure if the history helped secure the appointment. I still wanted a Constance so went to see what the system was like. Appointment at 1:10 moved to 4:30 then 5:10 and then to 4:00 pm- so be prepared to dedicate a day to FSH. Time arrived but had to wait 35 minutes for SA who took us upstairs asked what I wanted (Constance and Kelly cut) he asked for my name and if I had purchased a Kelly the day before I said yes and he told me I could not get a Kelly cut because it was a quota bag but he would check on the Constance, I could tell they had these in stock. Waited another 25 minutes and I thought I would get lucky but he came back and said they had sold all the Constance's they had gotten that day. He asked if I would be interested in anything else and I inquired about Roulis mini he then said "oh another popular bag". He checked on his phone and offered me a black in the full size or mini but they only had it in Ostrich (9200 Euros) RP in case anyone is interested. Will post pics later and will also update you if I am able to get a Constance as well as the Kelly, we are here for another week.
