Paris update (Part 1)- Warning long post
Arrived in Paris on March 28th. I had a fabulous time and had an opportunity to visit all 3 stores (FSH and Severes on multiple times) so I am going to break this up into different posts.
I had been in contact with my SA that that I met in Sept earlier in the year when I was going to come in Jan- he told me that he could not get me an appointment at that time as he was fully booked. I contacted him again a couple of weeks before my departure in March but did not get a response. I e-mailed him on arrival in Paris and he responded that he could not assist and to try the lottery and or drop by for cancellation appointments. Not really surprised as I know from our conversation in Sept that he was new to Hermes (only been there for 6 months) at the time. I suspected that he may not actually be able to assist as he is too junior.
So on my 1st full day in Paris (March 29th) I decided to drop by FSH to assess the situation. On arrival in FSH the store was dead quiet! I have never been to FSH when it was so quiet- even before the pandemic!
I made my way to the leather appointment desk and the whole area was dead quiet but just as I got to the desk an SA arrived with a couple in tow who were looking to get squeezed in for a leather appointment and another couple approached from the side. The leather SA asked the first couple's name and added them to the list and asked them to take a seat. Then the turned to the second couple and asked what they were looking for (Picotin) and she added them to the list and asked them to take a seat. She then turned to me and asked how she could help. I inquired about a cancellation -she asked what bag I was looking for and I told her a Kelly, she asked for my name-at this point a young women joined the queue on my left side and the SA got call on her phone. She asked me to wait and when around the display cases to take the call- she was gone for ~ 3 to 5 minutes and then returned returned. She apologized for the wait and before I could say anything the young women on my left jumped in to ask for an appointment! I was a bit taken aback but the leather SA smiled politely and told her no there we no openings- she argued back and forth for a while and indicated to others that had been given an appointment. The SA firmly told her that there were no openings and invited her to check another day- she eventually left.
The SA then turned to me and asked for name and phone number and added me to the list and asked me to take a seat. The 2 couples had already been collected so no one else was waiting. While waiting for my appointment she added 2 additional customers to the list. So I conclude that the young woman did not get the appointment because she was rude and pushy.
I was so excited, getting an appointment on my first try and day- could it really be that easy? Would I be able to get a quota bag as I had not even made any purchases on this visit yet- although I have a substantial spending history at FSH. All of these thoughts were going through my head during the brief wait.
After a brief wait it was my turn. My assigned SA called come from 3 feet away and motioned with her hand to follow her up the stairs. She never greeted me or introduced herself and did not respond when I asked for her name. She was a beautiful black woman who would be stunning if she would have smiled. She never smiled nor met my eyes. She immediately asked me what I was looking for and I asked to see mini kelly and k25 samples- she was bit exacerbated but pulled them out from the side and then again asked what I was looking for. I asked if there were winter season colours in stock of if it was primarily spring/summer as this would influence my selection- her response was to "just name some colours". I told her what I was interested in for both seasons- she did not take notes or ask me about non-quota bag options which they typically do. I did not suggest any non-quota bags because I concluded it was unlikely that I would be offered a bag but if I gave her a non-quota bag option it would be all over. She told me to wait and that she would check stock and be back in 5 minutes! I panicked as it was clear things were not going well- so I asked her if I could get a drink. She replied you want a drink? What do you want? She did not even provide the options but I already knew so I asked for my drink to buy some time. She quickly returned with my drink and told me that she would check stock and be back in a few minutes. Before I could even ask if I could add an additional colour selection she was gone and back in less than 5 minutes- with sorry no bags today. I then asked about other bags and was told no stock is low and there are no bags of any style available. Wow that was shocking! At this point the 1st couple who had asked about the Birkin came down the stairs from the private rooms with smiles on their faces and a B30 box and the 2nd couple SA was carrying a Picotin box. My whole appointment took 17 minutes and it was crystal clear from the onset that I was not going to get a quota bag. I was surprised not to be offered anything. I did ask if there might be something coming in later in the week and I was told to try the lottery. I know that appointments do not always=a quota bag as I have had unsuccessful appointments in the past but I have never experienced the brusque and unfriendly attitude displayed by this particular SA. I would truly have been devastated if this had been by one and only appointment. I did see this SA working the SLG counter later in the week and the scowl and permanent frown were still etched on her features. There really is no excuse for this kind of posture- I know the job is truly difficult but you need to be professional and personable qualities that are absent in this particular woman. I thought about complaining to the manager but did not.
I then went to aftercare to get a repair done on one of my coats- as I passed through the fine jewelry section I saw the elderly gentleman who had come after me being offered the exact bag that I had requested. Which confirmed they had bags and even the exact bag that I requested.
After completing my business in aftercare I went to shoes, belts, hats, homeware, jewelry and cosmetics to see if they had items on my list. Not a single item on list was available. I did however see the in the loop belt bag on display- I asked at the SLG counter if they had one and SA started to tell me that I would need a leather appointment, when the supervisor interrupted and asked what colour was I looking for? I asked what was available- he told me they had 42 in stock but many were on display but they had yellow, lime, mauve pale/vert fizz verso, black, gold, craie- I looked at both the gold and vert fizz/mauve pale. I selected gold- love this very versatile belt bag!
Take-home messages:
1) You may get a card/contact information and assurances of help with a return visit but this may not happen.
2) There is no harm in asking for an appointment you might get lucky!
3) Be polite - rudeness is not rewarded.
4) An appointment does=QB
5) They have bags and likely even have the exact bag you requested, but you still need to get lucky with your SA assignment in order to be successful.
6) In the loop belt bags do not require and appointment and large numbers are currently in production- ask you SA if interested.
Hope this helps and I will add my experiences at George V and Severes later.