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.

 

[880]

Do you know by chance, if to get one leather appointment, will it be possible to set appointments with that SA directly (not via system) or it should be more than one appointment initially ?

If you have an SA in Paris, she will have provided you with her information and offered specifically to meet with you by prearranged appt the next time you are there (outside of the lottery system).

 

[SpicyTuna13]

RTW at FSH is considerably more varied and far less expensive than in the US.

Thank you for sharing — I was not aware of this. Wonder why the price difference? Suppose similar reason as to why bags are less expensive at FSH vs. US.

 

[cloee]

Has anyone been to Terminal 1 of CDG recently? Is the Hermès store open? Will be heading to Paris soon and will try the 3 stores but also considering to check duty free shops. Thanks

 

[QuelleFromage]

For those making lottery appointments in Paris, I know this is very emotional, especially when traveling for the appointment.

But perhaps we can try to look at it from the perspective of the stores and the SAs.

The appointment system came about because there was a literal line outside every store, especially FSH, and at FSH lining up was beginning to start late the following evening. People brought chairs. Worse, people were holding slots and selling them, or paying people to stand in line.

So, the lottery was implemented to assign appointments instead of allowing walk-ins. From the store perspective, it's a client appointment. From the buyer perspective it's so often a once-in-forever miracle shot at a dream bag with a ton of expectation. Theses two things do not align.

From the SA perspective, they are still handling an assigned number of appointments each day. Personally I think they're trained really well - they listen hard to wish lists and they try to find something that will fit both what the client has asked for and what they observe about the client. But they are each seeing tens of people a day, 99% of whom are asking for a Birkin or Kelly. They don't know whether you came from around the corner or across the world. They don't know if this is an ultimate hope/dream for you. They're literally just doing their job (again, most very well, apparently some aren't so nice).

Are there Birkins and Kellys? Almost always (the exception I remember was after the warehouse robbery). Can every SA offer one to every customer? No. Some don't have the seniority. Sometimes the bag that might fit you has just been snagged by another SA. And sometimes there is nothing available in a remotely related spec (you asked for pink Mini Kelly PHW, they have black Kelly 35 GHW - in this case they are certain that if you accept something so far away from your wishlist, you will resell it, so why bring it out?). But in general, in my experience (I live in Paris and I see these encounters play out constantly), if a coveted bag isn't available or can't be offered, the SAs really try to broaden your viewpoint on H products and find something you may love. (It goes without saying that this does not apply to people who berate the SAs or have meltdowns.)

The expectations on each side just seem really far apart and maybe it'll help a bit to see it from the other side?

Time to re-lurk, but I hope this is of some small help. Happy New Year to all!



*stock photo because the internet

 

[excalibur]

I’m sorry to read about your experience too I think we might have got the same SA. Mine was a younger Asian female also, long lashes. Had a lot of hope also and felt super lucky scoring an appointment online. Don’t know where it went wrong as I was polite and genuinely keen to buy something even a cute Picotin in neutrals if b & k not available but kind of surprised that the only ones in stock were the ones she brought out. I actually liked the herbag she brought out more than I thought but said could you give me a minute to think and ask my husband what he thinks as he was just browsing around the corner and she blatantly pretty much said no and that appointments times are limited or that she has no time or something along those lines. I was speechless lol. I said okay no problem. And thanked her for her time. Then she said she’ll prepare it and leave it in my name and if I wanted it to request it at the front cashier.

Usually the SA would wait until you’re done with payment at the cashier. Your SA seemed too lazy and ignorant. I hope corporate/store director will take this seriously. That kind of attitude is very annoying.

 

[LilyLA]

Oh wow! I didn't even notice the cameras! I was worried about being mistaken as a reseller so I actually wore the items that's in my purchase history to the appointment (mini lindy and hermes rings) May I ask what you got offered? Happy to hear that you had success!

Yes of course. I realized I didn't share my story and others have when they got their offers...I would love to share my own experience.

I was in Paris in November and had a thought to try to get a Hermes bag. I'm new to the brand and don't have an active profile in the US (i purchased 1 apple watch strap 4 years ago). My first day in Paris, I purchased shoes and a belt. A lot of shoes because the prices are so much better in Europe than the US....and its not like I shop in my home country anyway. My intention was to buy the accessories I've always admired but never bought in the US. While there, I asked the SA helping me at shoes if they knew of any leather cancellations. She said no. I later went about my day and applied for my leather appointment through the website. Got denied. A couple days later, I decided I wanted to get another color of the Oz mules and went back to FSH. The SA said it wasn't available in her store but I could go to Sevres where they might have it. This was probably day 3 of my trip. So while at FSH, I went to the leather goods area and tried to find the leather appointment desk....i saw a couple ahead who was asking about appointments. The associate there was not happy with the couple and was quite curt. After seeing that, I immediately beelined for the wallets and ended up purchasing a bastia. I knew I would most likely not have any luck in getting offered an appointment. Later that day, I walked over to Sevres to find the Oz mules in black. The shoe department was packed and I was told it would be another 30 minutes wait. I asked the hostess in the shoe department if the shoe was available in my size and she said she might have it. She also mentioned that she can't guarantee it won't be sold to another customer while I am waiting. Something told me it wasn't worth the wait, so I headed to the leather appointment desk to ask about cancellations. The lady there was very polite but said no. So I headed to the George V store in search of those black oz mules. It was near closing at this point when I arrived, but the shoe department ended up having the black Oz mules with rose gold hardware - which was a pleasant surprise given FSH told me only the silver hardware was available in Paris! I was able to build rapport with this SA and asked about leather appointments. She said she could walk me to the leather appointment desk and ask. So we went. The leather SA scrolled through her tablet and unfortunately, said no. I wasn't bothered about it and honestly, just thanked them both for even bothering to check. I paid for my shoes and left. 2 days after that, i got a text as I was standing on an escalator in the metro...i had an appointment! It was Saturday, so my appointment was for Monday at FSH during store opening. This was the 6th time I applied through the website.

I set 5 alarms on my phone for Monday morning....starting at 6AM. Crazy, I know. I was the first to arrive in the appointment line at FSH. It was really sweet....I thought appointment lines were by the side entrance. But when I tried to confirm with the crowd of customers where the appointment line was, so many of them directed me to the other side of the main entrance. They were so helpful and it felt like they were cheering me on. It was really nice. It was raining that day (actually it was raining my whole trip!) so i wore rain boots, jeans, and a taupe colored cashmere sweater. I had on basic jewelry but nothing flashy. I had my blackout balenciaga city bag.....up until then, I didn't own Hermes accessories and I packed with the intention of being understated for Paris since I was solo traveling. When they let us in, I was greeted by my SA. He was polite and cordial, not overly warm. I didn't get a chance to build rapport. He sat down and immediately asked me what I was looking for and I mentioned B25 or B30 with gold hardware. I was open to any neutral colors. I was pretty honest that I was new to the brand but really excited and nervous about this appointment. I'm sure it was obvious that I was nervous. My hands were clammy. He brought me my drink and left to search. I was waiting for probably.....20 minutes or more? I was the first in line for the appointment but the last to receive my offer. During the wait, I noticed the camera pointing at my table, so I passed the time people watching through the store window. I also made small talk with other customers and another couple waiting. I walked around the displays as well. I did not touch my phone. There's some part of me that believes the store manager and my SA were watching me trying to determine if I was hired by resellers or was a reseller myself. Finally, my SA came back and took me to a private room on the next floor. I was offered 2 bags. A birkin 30 in etoupe PHW, which I immediately accepted. I was thrilled! And a dark maroon mini evelyn. I wasn't sure about the evelyn because it looked so tiny (but the leather felt amazing!) and asked about other bags. I don't recall all the offers, but I remember seeing a nata mini roulis (which was too small for me), a dark red picotin 18 and finally a gold picotin 22. Is there such thing as a mini geta? Because he said something about a new release bag....but it was also nata.

We went to get twillies and another belt. While I was waiting for my items to get packed up, I saw another customer with a herbag and it looked so good on her! I asked my SA when he came back if it was possible to get one, and he went to go check. We ended up back at the appointment desk and he offered me a herbag 31.

So I ended up walking away with 3 bags: birkin 30 etoupe PHW, picotin 22 gold PHW, and Herbag 31. My SA told me it was unlikely I would get a non-quota bag in the next 6 months, but I could try for a quota when I come back. Fueled by champagne, I went to go pay and basically floated on cloud 9 through the rest of my trip.

It was a memorable experience....and now I've been bitten by the Hermes bug. It's a contagious luxury disease for sure.

Last note - because I was so green to this brand....i think it helped that i had very low expectations on bag offers/leather appointments. If I hadn't gotten the leather appointment, I still would have felt it was a successful trip because I got the shoes i wanted and a belt....which were things I've always hoped to get but never felt compelled to actually buy at home. The price difference in Europe alone made the shopping experience worth it...for just shoes!

 

[KristinS]

For those making lottery appointments in Paris, I know this is very emotional, especially when traveling for the appointment.

But perhaps we can try to look at it from the perspective of the stores and the SAs.

The appointment system came about because there was a literal line outside every store, especially FSH, and at FSH lining up was beginning to start late the following evening. People brought chairs. Worse, people were holding slots and selling them, or paying people to stand in line.

So, the lottery was implemented to assign appointments instead of allowing walk-ins. From the store perspective, it's a client appointment. From the buyer perspective it's so often a once-in-forever miracle shot at a dream bag with a ton of expectation. Theses two things do not align.

From the SA perspective, they are still handling an assigned number of appointments each day. Personally I think they're trained really well - they listen hard to wish lists and they try to find something that will fit both what the client has asked for and what they observe about the client. But they are each seeing tens of people a day, 99% of whom are asking for a Birkin or Kelly. They don't know whether you came from around the corner or across the world. They don't know if this is an ultimate hope/dream for you. They're literally just doing their job (again, most very well, apparently some aren't so nice).

Are there Birkins and Kellys? Almost always (the exception I remember was after the warehouse robbery). Can every SA offer one to every customer? No. Some don't have the seniority. Sometimes the bag that might fit you has just been snagged by another SA. And sometimes there is nothing available in a remotely related spec (you asked for pink Mini Kelly PHW, they have black Kelly 35 GHW - in this case they are certain that if you accept something so far away from your wishlist, you will resell it, so why bring it out?). But in general, in my experience (I live in Paris and I see these encounters play out constantly), if a coveted bag isn't available or can't be offered, the SAs really try to broaden your viewpoint on H products and find something you may love. (It goes without saying that this does not apply to people who berate the SAs or have meltdowns.)

The expectations on each side just seem really far apart and maybe it'll help a bit to see it from the other side?

Time to re-lurk, but I hope this is of some small help. Happy New Year to all!


View attachment 5681009
*stock photo because the internet

I totally agree with you @QuelleFromage. When I was in Paris in November, I was able to connect with many SAs - a constant theme was how it can be challenging and exhausting with all the customers and satisfying their expectations. I also understand how the lottery system can drum up excitement, hope, and perhaps expectations for a dream bag (that may be impossible for some people, otherwise). To your point, leaning in to understand the SA perspective may help ease some of the disparity.

 

[880]

Yes of course. I realized I didn't share my story and others have when they got their offers...I would love to share my own experience.

I was in Paris in November and had a thought to try to get a Hermes bag. I'm new to the brand and don't have an active profile in the US (i purchased 1 apple watch strap 4 years ago). My first day in Paris, I purchased shoes and a belt. A lot of shoes because the prices are so much better in Europe than the US....and its not like I shop in my home country anyway. My intention was to buy the accessories I've always admired but never bought in the US. While there, I asked the SA helping me at shoes if they knew of any leather cancellations. She said no. I later went about my day and applied for my leather appointment through the website. Got denied. A couple days later, I decided I wanted to get another color of the Oz mules and went back to FSH. The SA said it wasn't available in her store but I could go to Sevres where they might have it. This was probably day 3 of my trip. So while at FSH, I went to the leather goods area and tried to find the leather appointment desk....i saw a couple ahead who was asking about appointments. The associate there was not happy with the couple and was quite curt. After seeing that, I immediately beelined for the wallets and ended up purchasing a bastia. I knew I would most likely not have any luck in getting offered an appointment. Later that day, I walked over to Sevres to find the Oz mules in black. The shoe department was packed and I was told it would be another 30 minutes wait. I asked the hostess in the shoe department if the shoe was available in my size and she said she might have it. She also mentioned that she can't guarantee it won't be sold to another customer while I am waiting. Something told me it wasn't worth the wait, so I headed to the leather appointment desk to ask about cancellations. The lady there was very polite but said no. So I headed to the George V store in search of those black oz mules. It was near closing at this point when I arrived, but the shoe department ended up having the black Oz mules with rose gold hardware - which was a pleasant surprise given FSH told me only the silver hardware was available in Paris! I was able to build rapport with this SA and asked about leather appointments. She said she could walk me to the leather appointment desk and ask. So we went. The leather SA scrolled through her tablet and unfortunately, said no. I wasn't bothered about it and honestly, just thanked them both for even bothering to check. I paid for my shoes and left. 2 days after that, i got a text as I was standing on an escalator in the metro...i had an appointment! It was Saturday, so my appointment was for Monday at FSH during store opening. This was the 6th time I applied through the website.

I set 5 alarms on my phone for Monday morning....starting at 6AM. Crazy, I know. I was the first to arrive in the appointment line at FSH. It was really sweet....I thought appointment lines were by the side entrance. But when I tried to confirm with the crowd of customers where the appointment line was, so many of them directed me to the other side of the main entrance. They were so helpful and it felt like they were cheering me on. It was really nice. It was raining that day (actually it was raining my whole trip!) so i wore rain boots, jeans, and a taupe colored cashmere sweater. I had on basic jewelry but nothing flashy. I had my blackout balenciaga city bag.....up until then, I didn't own Hermes accessories and I packed with the intention of being understated for Paris since I was solo traveling. When they let us in, I was greeted by my SA. He was polite and cordial, not overly warm. I didn't get a chance to build rapport. He sat down and immediately asked me what I was looking for and I mentioned B25 or B30 with gold hardware. I was open to any neutral colors. I was pretty honest that I was new to the brand but really excited and nervous about this appointment. I'm sure it was obvious that I was nervous. My hands were clammy. He brought me my drink and left to search. I was waiting for probably.....20 minutes or more? I was the first in line for the appointment but the last to receive my offer. During the wait, I noticed the camera pointing at my table, so I passed the time people watching through the store window. I also made small talk with other customers and another couple waiting. I walked around the displays as well. I did not touch my phone. There's some part of me that believes the store manager and my SA were watching me trying to determine if I was hired by resellers or was a reseller myself. Finally, my SA came back and took me to a private room on the next floor. I was offered 2 bags. A birkin 30 in etoupe PHW, which I immediately accepted. I was thrilled! And a dark maroon mini evelyn. I wasn't sure about the evelyn because it looked so tiny (but the leather felt amazing!) and asked about other bags. I don't recall all the offers, but I remember seeing a nata mini roulis (which was too small for me), a dark red picotin 18 and finally a gold picotin 22. Is there such thing as a mini geta? Because he said something about a new release bag....but it was also nata.

We went to get twillies and a belt. While I was waiting for my items to get packed up, I saw another customer with a herbag and it looked so good on her! I asked my SA when he came back if it was possible to get one, and he went to go check. We ended up back at the appointment desk and he offered me a herbag 31.

So I ended up walking away with 3 bags: birkin 30 etoupe PHW, picotin 22 gold PHW, and Herbag 31. My SA told me it was unlikely I would get a non-quota bag in the next 6 months, but I could try for a quota when I come back. Fueled by champagne, I went to go pay and basically floated on cloud 9 through the rest of my trip.

It was a memorable experience....and now I've been bitten by the Hermes bug. It's a contagious luxury disease for sure.

Last note - because I was so green to this brand....i think it helped that i had very low expectations on bag offers/leather appointments. If I hadn't gotten the leather appointment, I still would have felt it was a successful trip because I got the shoes i wanted and a belt....which were things I've always hoped to get but never felt compelled to actually buy at home. The price difference in Europe alone made the shopping experience worth it...for just shoes!

Love your story! Congrats
I am so happy for you!

ETA: no idea there were cameras lol

 

[jimmyshoogirl]

Yes of course. I realized I didn't share my story and others have when they got their offers...I would love to share my own experience.

I was in Paris in November and had a thought to try to get a Hermes bag. I'm new to the brand and don't have an active profile in the US (i purchased 1 apple watch strap 4 years ago). My first day in Paris, I purchased shoes and a belt. A lot of shoes because the prices are so much better in Europe than the US....and its not like I shop in my home country anyway. My intention was to buy the accessories I've always admired but never bought in the US. While there, I asked the SA helping me at shoes if they knew of any leather cancellations. She said no. I later went about my day and applied for my leather appointment through the website. Got denied. A couple days later, I decided I wanted to get another color of the Oz mules and went back to FSH. The SA said it wasn't available in her store but I could go to Sevres where they might have it. This was probably day 3 of my trip. So while at FSH, I went to the leather goods area and tried to find the leather appointment desk....i saw a couple ahead who was asking about appointments. The associate there was not happy with the couple and was quite curt. After seeing that, I immediately beelined for the wallets and ended up purchasing a bastia. I knew I would most likely not have any luck in getting offered an appointment. Later that day, I walked over to Sevres to find the Oz mules in black. The shoe department was packed and I was told it would be another 30 minutes wait. I asked the hostess in the shoe department if the shoe was available in my size and she said she might have it. She also mentioned that she can't guarantee it won't be sold to another customer while I am waiting. Something told me it wasn't worth the wait, so I headed to the leather appointment desk to ask about cancellations. The lady there was very polite but said no. So I headed to the George V store in search of those black oz mules. It was near closing at this point when I arrived, but the shoe department ended up having the black Oz mules with rose gold hardware - which was a pleasant surprise given FSH told me only the silver hardware was available in Paris! I was able to build rapport with this SA and asked about leather appointments. She said she could walk me to the leather appointment desk and ask. So we went. The leather SA scrolled through her tablet and unfortunately, said no. I wasn't bothered about it and honestly, just thanked them both for even bothering to check. I paid for my shoes and left. 2 days after that, i got a text as I was standing on an escalator in the metro...i had an appointment! It was Saturday, so my appointment was for Monday at FSH during store opening. This was the 6th time I applied through the website.

I set 5 alarms on my phone for Monday morning....starting at 6AM. Crazy, I know. I was the first to arrive in the appointment line at FSH. It was really sweet....I thought appointment lines were by the side entrance. But when I tried to confirm with the crowd of customers where the appointment line was, so many of them directed me to the other side of the main entrance. They were so helpful and it felt like they were cheering me on. It was really nice. It was raining that day (actually it was raining my whole trip!) so i wore rain boots, jeans, and a taupe colored cashmere sweater. I had on basic jewelry but nothing flashy. I had my blackout balenciaga city bag.....up until then, I didn't own Hermes accessories and I packed with the intention of being understated for Paris since I was solo traveling. When they let us in, I was greeted by my SA. He was polite and cordial, not overly warm. I didn't get a chance to build rapport. He sat down and immediately asked me what I was looking for and I mentioned B25 or B30 with gold hardware. I was open to any neutral colors. I was pretty honest that I was new to the brand but really excited and nervous about this appointment. I'm sure it was obvious that I was nervous. My hands were clammy. He brought me my drink and left to search. I was waiting for probably.....20 minutes or more? I was the first in line for the appointment but the last to receive my offer. During the wait, I noticed the camera pointing at my table, so I passed the time people watching through the store window. I also made small talk with other customers and another couple waiting. I walked around the displays as well. I did not touch my phone. There's some part of me that believes the store manager and my SA were watching me trying to determine if I was hired by resellers or was a reseller myself. Finally, my SA came back and took me to a private room on the next floor. I was offered 2 bags. A birkin 30 in etoupe PHW, which I immediately accepted. I was thrilled! And a dark maroon mini evelyn. I wasn't sure about the evelyn because it looked so tiny (but the leather felt amazing!) and asked about other bags. I don't recall all the offers, but I remember seeing a nata mini roulis (which was too small for me), a dark red picotin 18 and finally a gold picotin 22. Is there such thing as a mini geta? Because he said something about a new release bag....but it was also nata.

We went to get twillies and another belt. While I was waiting for my items to get packed up, I saw another customer with a herbag and it looked so good on her! I asked my SA when he came back if it was possible to get one, and he went to go check. We ended up back at the appointment desk and he offered me a herbag 31.

So I ended up walking away with 3 bags: birkin 30 etoupe PHW, picotin 22 gold PHW, and Herbag 31. My SA told me it was unlikely I would get a non-quota bag in the next 6 months, but I could try for a quota when I come back. Fueled by champagne, I went to go pay and basically floated on cloud 9 through the rest of my trip.

It was a memorable experience....and now I've been bitten by the Hermes bug. It's a contagious luxury disease for sure.

Last note - because I was so green to this brand....i think it helped that i had very low expectations on bag offers/leather appointments. If I hadn't gotten the leather appointment, I still would have felt it was a successful trip because I got the shoes i wanted and a belt....which were things I've always hoped to get but never felt compelled to actually buy at home. The price difference in Europe alone made the shopping experience worth it...for just shoes!

Love your story! I was a lot like you and didn’t have high expectations with the leather appt. I had read time and time again in this thread that an appointment does NOT guarantee a bag. My FJ SA reminded me if the same. I’m glad I was too naive to realize they could’ve been watching me lol or I would’ve looked very unnatural. Not sure what a reseller looks like but I was all over the place. I was taking pics, scrolling on here, texting my hubby, talking to the guard about the bags and congratulating others on their offers lol - like a kid in the candy store! I was excited and enjoying my time whether it produced a bag or not!

FYI I had a young Asian lady as my SA; I’m not Asian. She was pleasant and doing her job. She did wish me a happy birthday and offer me drinks. That’s all I needed from her!

 

[LilyLA]

Love your story! I was a lot like you and didn’t have high expectations with the leather appt. I had read time and time again in this thread that an appointment does NOT guarantee a bag. I’m glad I was too naive to realize they could’ve been watching me lol or I would’ve looked very unnatural. Not sure what a reseller looks like but I was all over the place. I was taking pics, scrolling on here, texting my hubby, talking to the guard about the bags and congratulating others on their offers lol - like a kid in the candy store! I was excited and enjoying my time whether it produced a bag or not!

FYI I had a young Asian lady as my SA; I’m not Asian. She was pleasant and doing her job. She did wish me a happy birthday and offer me drinks. That’s all I needed from her!

I loved your story as well! Because of you, we now know that Hermes can do special things for birthdays. Discretionary by the SA and manager of course. Your bag is beautiful! Congratulations again! I was totally rooting for you!

 

[jimmyshoogirl]

I loved your story as well! Because of you, we now know that Hermes can do special things for birthdays. Discretionary by the SA and manager of course. Your bag is beautiful! Congratulations again! I was totally rooting for you!

You were totally rooting for me and it worked!! I seriously enjoyed the city so much that I’m sure nothing would’ve made it a bad experience!

Slightly OT but how much were the Kelly belts in Paris? I still haven’t been able to get one!

 

[_gelato_]

I loved your story as well! Because of you, we now know that Hermes can do special things for birthdays. Discretionary by the SA and manager of course. Your bag is beautiful! Congratulations again! I was totally rooting for you!

Agree with ‘discretionary by the SA and SM’ . They hear ‘it’s my birthday’ every day, along with anniversaries, other special milestones, etc. In fact I even saw an SA roll his eyes and sigh exasperatedly as soon as the customer mentioned ‘I’d like a bag for my wife’s 30th birthday’.

To those who felt like all was lost when the SA didn’t offer any drinks when others were given drinks: don’t take this to heart, it is a minute detail that most likely has no bearing on whether the SA likes you or is going to offer a bag. My dear SA, who I always have a great time chatting with and who always manages to fulfill my wishlists, didn’t offer me any drinks at all during our recent appointment and yet I still walked away happy (though thirsty ) with a lovely B25 as well as other hard-to-find goodies.

 

[jimmyshoogirl]

Agree with ‘discretionary by the SA and SM’ . They hear ‘it’s my birthday’ every day, along with anniversaries, other special milestones, etc. In fact I even saw an SA roll his eyes and sigh exasperatedly as soon as the customer mentioned ‘I’d like a bag for my wife’s 30th birthday’.

To those who felt like all was lost when the SA didn’t offer any drinks when others were given drinks: don’t take this to heart, it is a minute detail that most likely has no bearing on whether the SA likes you or is going to offer a bag. My dear SA, who I always have a great time chatting with and who always manages to fulfill my wishlists, didn’t offer me any drinks at all during our recent appointment and yet I still walked away happy (though thirsty ) with a lovely B25 as well as other hard-to-find goodies.

I’m sure they do. It’s literally someone’s birthday everyday. After reading that very thing in this thread I actually wasn’t going to mention my birthday but the SA asked why were we visited and I was literally there for my birthday! I’m glad he asked and I said something! As the lovely @880 always say YMMV

 

[LilyLA]

You were totally rooting for me and it worked!! I seriously enjoyed the city so much that I’m sure nothing would’ve made it a bad experience!

Slightly OT but how much were the Kelly belts in Paris? I still haven’t been able to get one!

Yes! Im happy you got what you wanted Gahhh I wish I knew the price of the Kelly belts! It was the one item I couldn’t get at any of the stores! If anyone knows, we would love to hear! It’s not on the French website.

I’m debating about buying it in the US….they are available online sporadically.

 

[LilyLA]

Agree with ‘discretionary by the SA and SM’ . They hear ‘it’s my birthday’ every day, along with anniversaries, other special milestones, etc. In fact I even saw an SA roll his eyes and sigh exasperatedly as soon as the customer mentioned ‘I’d like a bag for my wife’s 30th birthday’.

To those who felt like all was lost when the SA didn’t offer any drinks when others were given drinks: don’t take this to heart, it is a minute detail that most likely has no bearing on whether the SA likes you or is going to offer a bag. My dear SA, who I always have a great time chatting with and who always manages to fulfill my wishlists, didn’t offer me any drinks at all during our recent appointment and yet I still walked away happy (though thirsty ) with a lovely B25 as well as other hard-to-find goodies.

That’s a great reminder! The drinks shouldn’t make or break the luxury experience