Paris trip for Hermes

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#29,204
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.
 
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#30,287
Roe said:
You're saying SLG in the bubblegum may work but not a B25
Magnolia may be off the table completely?
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Magnolia is currently a rested color as far as I know, so there maayyyybe might be one floating around out there from earlier production but I kinda doubt it. Bubble gum only comes in Epsom I think (?) which they no longer do in the standard B25s. Perhaps a Sellier b25 but I haven’t seen one yet. Haven’t seen a 5P B25 in any leather from the current year actually (nor any Doblis birkins). As for exotics, it’s even harder to keep track of whats in season. Just ask the SA (assuming you get an appointment) for what you’re looking for and cross your fingers that they have it. I’d say the chances are slim to none though. :sad:
 
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#30,289
Roe said:
You're saying SLG in the bubblegum may work but not a B25
Magnolia may be off the table completely?
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Yes to both. I think there are other styles in 5P. I don’t think Magnolia is currently in collection.
And Acrowcounted has taken a lot of effort to respond and has answered your query very well. I don’t think 5P exists in Doblis as far as I know.
 
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#30,291
acrowcounted said:
Magnolia is currently a rested color as far as I know, so there maayyyybe might be one floating around out there from earlier production but I kinda doubt it. Bubble gum only comes in Epsom I think (?) which they no longer do in the standard B25s. Perhaps a Sellier b25 but I haven’t seen one yet. Haven’t seen a 5P B25 in any leather from the current year actually (nor any Doblis birkins). As for exotics, it’s even harder to keep track of whats in season. Just ask the SA (assuming you get an appointment) for what you’re looking for and cross your fingers that they have it. I’d say the chances are slim to none though. :sad:
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Thank you very much. Can't wait.
 
#30,292
jmc3007 said:
I second that as I was in the same boat. Couldn’t get an appt online on all week since last Friday so yesterday popped into the mothership and connected with my lovely SA who’s now in accessories and not leather goods where she was previously for several years. She tried to speak to the leather hostess but didn’t get far and was told best for me to use online. My SA said to come back later after lunch to see what she could do. I asked for Birkin 35 or Kelly 28 and Picotin 22, and she found a bicolor Picotin in blues for which I was delighted :biggrin:. Initially she looked in her app and only saw the black Picotin which I wasn’t thrilled with but after lunch she found something else. I’ve worked with the same woman each time I’m in Paris. She doesn’t do email but she’s always reachable at the store, at least for me during the last several visits. She’s offered me 2 Birkins in the past but since she’s been out of the leather goods loop she wasn’t as clued in this time re B/K inventory.

I feel for the young lady leather hostess who’s like an air traffic controller during rush hour. Not an easy job and she was constantly bombarded with interruptions and demands while trying not to lose it. Before the hostess used to be on the second floor, an area which felt more spacious and gracious, now she’s on the ground floor, not even at a counter, more like a standup market stall where ppl just hovered. Yikes!
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The second floor is practically serene.

Do any of you guys get the sense that the SA has a certain amount to spend with you possibly b/c she has another appointment shortly? I haven't gone into a boutique after December 2019 (where I bought one HS). So I felt like a kid in a candy store the two times I was in Paris in 2019. I think these SA's want their clients to have a list, they pull the stuff out of inventory, ring it up and voila! Next customer please!

By now I wonder if I should pursue a bag in FSH b/c I have 4 kellys and only use one. (Stuck home due to Covid restrictions). What could another bag do for me? (Watch this space, that sneaky H will have filled the shelves with all sorts of delights. H knows how to drive people crazy).
 
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#30,293
gracecska said:
I've heard many people say stock is scant in Paris during the summer months because of an influx of tourists and the artisans' taking holiday and the chance of getting a bag is better in the fall, but can anyone who has actually gone at several different times of the year comment if this is really the case?

I have a good relationship with my SA at my home store but it's always been a dream of mine to get a bag at FSH. A few years ago, when I was just getting into H, I went to all three Paris stores (including FSH with appointment, twice!) in August and asked for a B/K - was told no at all of them. For the second FSH appointments, my assigned SA didn't even offer me any alternative bag at all - she told me there was absolutely zero stock and that I could look in the display cases for something to buy! If the covid situation permits, I'm thinking about taking a brief trip to Paris in the fall and taking another stab at it, but I don't know if it will turn out any better than my previous attempt :P
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My advice is a little tinged with cynicism but here goes: drop a load of $$ in several H departments. If that doesn't pique an SA's interest, they're all zombies.
 
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#30,294
eagle1002us said:
My advice is a little tinged with cynicism but here goes: drop a load of $$ in several H departments. If that doesn't pique an SA's interest, they're all zombies.
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Thanks for your reply! Is this the case even at FSH? The way the leather appointments were so separated from the rest of the store made me thought that other purchases wouldn't help so much. SAs in the other departments can't offer you bags, and the leather SAs can't help you with anything else - and once they offer a bag, there's no forcing the customer to buy anything else. It makes much less sense compared to the spend ratio-systems elsewhere, where bags are dangled like carrots to meet the stores' sales goals.

Honestly the system at FSH makes me believe they must be able to see some global purchase history, because so many people here (who are good, regular customers at their home stores elsewhere in the world) report success in Paris with minimal purchases prior to the offers. When I got turned down, I didn't have any Hermes purchase history at all. Or else the H SAs are just acutely skillful at sizing people up. The whole process is mystifying :biggrin:
 
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#30,297
gracecska said:
Thanks for your reply! Is this the case even at FSH? The way the leather appointments were so separated from the rest of the store made me thought that other purchases wouldn't help so much. SAs in the other departments can't offer you bags, and the leather SAs can't help you with anything else - and once they offer a bag, there's no forcing the customer to buy anything else. It makes much less sense compared to the spend ratio-systems elsewhere, where bags are dangled like carrots to meet the stores' sales goals.

Honestly the system at FSH makes me believe they must be able to see some global purchase history, because so many people here (who are good, regular customers at their home stores elsewhere in the world) report success in Paris with minimal purchases prior to the offers. When I got turned down, I didn't have any Hermes purchase history at all. Or else the H SAs are just acutely skillful at sizing people up. The whole process is mystifying :biggrin:
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I was told by my FSH CdCs that the flagship keeps a number of bags aside to be offered to brand new clients who succeed with the online appointments and clients with or without much purchase history anywhere in the world. This is to give them a chance to realise their dream of owning an Hermes bag, from the flagship. It is likely the only store in the world which has this policy, it might only happen once. Any quota bag accepted then goes into the new client's account and can be seen by any of the 3 stores in Paris, any store in France and definitely in Europe. Other clients who make big purchases first also get chances via other department SAs and then they also extend offers, including rarer bags, exotics and SO slots to those who have established relationships at the store i.e. Their own personal clients. Please note what is rare at any other store e.g. Barenia Faubourg, is not rare at FSH, being the flagship. This accounts for the 3 main variations in the stories you hear about FSH. Good regular Hermes customers in other countries/ other stores might also purchase other items, it's not always disclosed, here or on social media. Anyway this is what I was told and I only know this because I am not afraid to ask my SA anything.
 
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#30,299
eagle1002us said:
The second floor is practically serene.

Do any of you guys get the sense that the SA has a certain amount to spend with you possibly b/c she has another appointment shortly? I haven't gone into a boutique after December 2019 (where I bought one HS). So I felt like a kid in a candy store the two times I was in Paris in 2019. I think these SA's want their clients to have a list, they pull the stuff out of inventory, ring it up and voila! Next customer please!

By now I wonder if I should pursue a bag in FSH b/c I have 4 kellys and only use one. (Stuck home due to Covid restrictions). What could another bag do for me? (Watch this space, that sneaky H will have filled the shelves with all sorts of delights. H knows how to drive people crazy).
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When I have an appointment, no matter which department, I am told I can take my time but I like to shop fast as there is so much I want to see and do in Paris even if I go there often. I have my regular places to dine at and the museums and other stores are always fun. I do one entire store walkthrough the day before and get everything put aside. When I see my own SA I give him a wishlist for bags and of everything else on reservation. He only wants to know which bags I am interested in, ASAP. He of course then brings whatever he thinks I may like. The whole thing is done fast and I don't take 8 hours of his time as apparently some clients enjoy. I sometimes return a few days later if he says to. Even though my SAs tell me they generally do not take online appointments, the faster I complete my visit, the more likely they can go help out someone who was not successful with their tries. It's win win win.
 
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#30,300
periogirl28 said:
I was told by my FSH CdCs that the flagship keeps a number of bags aside to be offered to brand new clients who succeed with the online appointments and clients with or without much purchase history anywhere in the world. This is to give them a chance to realise their dream of owning an Hermes bag, from the flagship. It is likely the only store in the world which has this policy, it might only happen once. Any quota bag accepted then goes into the new client's account and can be seen by any of the 3 stores in Paris, any store in France and definitely in Europe. Other clients who make big purchases first also get chances via other department SAs and then they also extend offers, including rarer bags, exotics and SO slots to those who have established relationships at the store i.e. Their own personal clients. Please note what is rare at any other store e.g. Barenia Faubourg, is not rare at FSH, being the flagship. This accounts for the 3 main variations in the stories you hear about FSH. Good regular Hermes customers in other countries/ other stores might also purchase other items, it's not always disclosed, here or on social media. Anyway this is what I was told and I only know this because I am not afraid to ask my SA anything.
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Thank you for sharing your VIP knowledge with the rest of us! :smile:
Can you share more insight into what it takes to form a relationship with an FSH SA like at any other store? Do they generally only want to deal with very high-spend customers (e.g., tens of thousands of euros in one visit) or locals? I would appreciate this not only to sidestep the bag appointment system but also because it's so valuable to have a pair of eyes looking out for specific items you want. My home store sometimes just simply isn't able to get a lot of the RTW and homegoods I've requested.
Also, I'm a little curious (and scared to hear) what is considered a "big purchase." :biggrin:
 
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