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]

me. (Note: available to ME. When they tell you certain bags are not available, it doesn't necessarily mean that it doesn't exist in the warehouse or stockroom. It means it's not available to YOU.)

100% P.S. I would love to be offered @Bdbunny leftovers lol

am very well aware of this.

Just wanted to add my theory that there is a bag and SA hierarchy

most of us on this thread focus on the appointment hierarchy:
- it seems that walk ins tend to get least choice, usually no QBs
- lottery appts may get to pick from a limited offer pool of QB bags
- special appts (high net worth, celebrity, VIP, etc) may get to pick from a larger pool than lottery
- regular clients who are quite longstanding (I’m probably years away from this but I can only hope lol)
have reported here that they gets oodles of fabulous offers

But, I feel that SAs themselves may be limited:
like, perhaps they are only allowed to offer x number of QBs a day if they are taking bag appointments

These factors in combination could explain why some people are offered xyz and others bubkes.
i also agree with @Bdbunny that I wouldn’t shop where I wasn’t well treated or felt lied to, but I do think it’s unwise to take SA statements too personally.

ETA: this is solely my own theory. I have no actual confirmation or proof this is the case. . .

 

[Bdbunny]

100% P.S. I would love to be offered @Bdbunny leftovers lol

Just wanted to add my theory that there is a bag and SA hierarchy

most of us on this thread focus on the appointment hierarchy:
- it seems that walk ins tend to get least choice, usually no QBs
- lottery appts may get to pick from a limited offer pool of QB bags
- special appts (high net worth etc) may get to pick from a larger pool than lottery
- regular clients who are longstanding (I’m probably years away from this but I can only hope lol)
have reported here that they gets oodles of fabulous offers

But, I feel that SAs themselves may be limited:
like, perhaps they are only allowed to offer x number of QBs a day if they are taking bag appointments

ahaha likewise @880!!

ETA to stay OT: Agree with you regarding the appt hierarchy. I do know my SA asked for my wishlist a week before my appt and he said he was happy the bag he offered me arrived in time. So I don't know if there is a magical land of H bags somewhere but it sounds like there is lol! Just imagining herds of H bags grazing in the fields or with wings flying through the clouds lol. I also asked him if the process was similar to US where the store/floor manager reviews the customer's profile and approves the bags, and he confirmed that is the case.

 

[Veritybelle]

most of us on this thread focus on the appointment hierarchy:
- it seems that walk ins tend to get least choice, usually no QBs
- lottery appts may get to pick from a limited offer pool of QB bags
- special appts (high net worth etc) may get to pick from a larger pool than lottery
- regular clients who are longstanding (I’m probably years away from this but I can only hope lol)
have reported here that they gets oodles of fabulous offers

That seems plausible. But to my mind getting a walk-in appointment is also basically a lottery, so although I think you may be right about the different pool of bags available to each group, I don’t see why there should be any difference between walk-in and lottery.

 

[880]

That seems plausible. But to my mind getting a walk-in appointment is also basically a lottery, so although I think you may be right about the different pool of bags available to each group, I don’t see why there should be any difference between walk-in and lottery.

Agree with you in theory. but there are limited numbers of bags. Should someone who can sweet talk their way into a walk in appt take the chance from someone who has applied to lottery 200 times lol

 

[Deleted 793791]

So, my appt was a special appt and my family member had a regular lottery-based appt. They are 2 different things in terms of hierarchy and pools? Interesting!

 

[880]

So, my appt was a special appt and my family member had a regular lottery-based appt. They are 2 different things in terms of hierarchy and pools? Interesting!

Just my own theory. I have no actual confirmation lol.

@Bdbunny , I have no wishlist, but have a similar situation re making appts in advance. My FSH SA asks that I make my appt with her as soon as I can (I assume so that she can try to save a bag slot for me, but IDK for certain). @mamakay , sometimes I give my SA the heads up months in advance, but that’s bc she (and the woman who covers for her) specifically told me to let her know as soon as I know my dates. But, I believe general wisdom on the thread is only a few weeks in advance bc SAs generally do not know their schedules that far ahead. when my original SA went on maternity leave (she’s been on leave for a year), there was a flurry of email to make sure that I was taken care of. I’ve had the same person cover for her the entire time, and it’s expected that I will return to my original SA when she gets back. (She emailed me to confirm this).

ETA: re the frequent blanket statement of SAs that we have no bags. Some TPFers have made the point why don’t SAs simply say no bag for you. . . I would posit that it may not be up to the SA and any blanket statement is corporate policy, rather than a negative judgment or veracity issue.

 

[Veritybelle]

Agree with you in theory. but there are limited numbers of bags. Should someone who can sweet talk their way into a walk in appt take the chance from someone who has applied to lottery 200 times lol

True but I’d suggest they are most likely one and the same!

 

[mamakay]

For those that have a Paris SA, how early in advance are your SAs able to make an appointment for you?

 

[jayne236]

@mamakay hi, I made my upcoming appointment one month in advance. Was able to make travel arrangements.

 

[QuelleFromage]

That seems plausible. But to my mind getting a walk-in appointment is also basically a lottery, so although I think you may be right about the different pool of bags available to each group, I don’t see why there should be any difference between walk-in and lottery.

Walk-ins and lottery appointments in Paris seem the same but they're not quite the same. With lotteries, it is automated, and SAs are fairly randomly assigned. Leather SAs can do a lot of lottery appointments in one day, so, when they meet a new client, there's no preparation time at all. That's why they assess what you're wearing and ask for specifics of colors, leathers, etc., then they will try to go find a bag that "matches" from the available bags that day (it's a pool of bags, not specific bags for each SA). For lottery appointments there can also sometimes be an (understandable) assumption by the SA that the client is only after an iconic bag and will never be seen again (or, if seen again, will be after another bag). It can be a little rote (although IME, SAs try very hard to please clients).
Walk-ins are the same - BUT generally the client profile has been viewed and assessed to grant the appointment, so it's a little less automated and the SA may have a sense of that person's buying history. The SA assignment may also be a bit less random, and because it will be an SA with free time or with a cancellation, it *may* be someone more senior.

ETA: re the frequent blanket statement of SAs that we have no bags. Some TPFers have made the point why don’t SAs simply say no bag for you. . . I would posit that it may not be up to the SA and any blanket statement is corporate policy, rather than a negative judgment or veracity issue.

You are (of course!) correct.
SAs here are dealing with a large supply of bags...and a large number of customers. If New Client A asks for a Birkin 25 Sellier in red, there very well may be one in stock - but another SA may be showing it to New Client B. Whether the SA waits to grab that bag for New Client A depends on the SA, how pressed for time they are, what else is available, and of course whether Client B accepts the bag. It's a constantly rotating pool.

 

[Veritybelle]

Walk-ins and lottery appointments in Paris seem the same but they're not quite the same. With lotteries, it is automated, and SAs are fairly randomly assigned. Leather SAs can do a lot of lottery appointments in one day, so, when they meet a new client, there's no preparation time at all. That's why they assess what you're wearing and ask for specifics of colors, leathers, etc., then they will try to go find a bag that "matches" from the available bags that day (it's a pool of bags, not specific bags for each SA). For lottery appointments there can also sometimes be an (understandable) assumption by the SA that the client is only after an iconic bag and will never be seen again (or, if seen again, will be after another bag). It can be a little rote (although IME, SAs try very hard to please clients).
Walk-ins are the same - BUT generally the client profile has been viewed and assessed to grant the appointment, so it's a little less automated and the SA may have a sense of that person's buying history. The SA assignment may also be a bit less random, and because it will be an SA with free time or with a cancellation, it *may* be someone more senior.


SAs here are dealing with a large supply of bags...and a large number of customers. If New Client A asks for a Birkin 25 Sellier in red, there very well may be one in stock - but another SA may be showing it to New Client B. Whether the SA waits to grab that bag for New Client A depends on the SA, how pressed for time they are, what else is available, and of course whether Client B accepts the bag. It's a constantly rotating pool.

That description definitely accords with my own experience and various comments in the thread. But that would suggest an assessed walk-in might be less likely to be told “no B/K” since more may be known about that client, whereas the summary posted by @880 also accords with my experience. The only rule is there is no rule…

People may complain, but I’d be willing to bet that there’s almost nobody on this board who would actually enjoy the experience of being told “no bags for YOU” and with good reason - personally I would be much happier to be given the generalized fiction that there are no bags!

 

[justdennis84]

Agree that „no bags“ is rather corporate speech and shows no negative attitude from an SA at all.

I am definiately someone who appreciates transparency. So „not for you today“ makes more sense to me. But it’s pretty obvious that it’s what it means so probably not really a difference.

 

[missBV]

For those that have a Paris SA, how early in advance are your SAs able to make an appointment for you?

.

 

[momoc]

I have also wondered if they don’t actually say “no bags for you even though we have some in the back for others” due to also some legal / consumer rights law considerations which they are instructed to be deliberate about. I’m not at all familiar with the actual laws just to be clear! But I can see how that could be grounds for arguments of discrimination and lawsuits potentially, so they are told to cover their bases to never say it out loud (even though that is quite frankly how the entire society works, unfortunately).

 

[fashionpl]

.

I’ve made my appointments several months in advance.