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.

 

[barbie444]

Does anyone know how stock in september is for a B or K?

 

[shopperbabs]

I was there at FSH too today and turned down for a birkin. Very frustrating. I told the SA it was my first visit to Paris but I have been a loyal H customer for the past 10 years. I asked for a neutral colored birkin such as etoupe in either hardware in 30 cm or 35 cm. The SA did take my passport and went to look but came back saying there were no more birkins left. She was very polite. It made me sad as I walked around and saw at least two people being shown birkins. One was in etoupe. It is my last day in Paris and am debating whether or not to try again since I have been to George v and sevres without any luck as well. 😔

 

[Mandy K]

I was there at FSH too today and turned down for a birkin. Very frustrating. I told the SA it was my first visit to Paris but I have been a loyal H customer for the past 10 years. I asked for a neutral colored birkin such as etoupe in either hardware in 30 cm or 35 cm. The SA did take my passport and went to look but came back saying there were no more birkins left. She was very polite. It made me sad as I walked around and saw at least two people being shown birkins. One was in etoupe. It is my last day in Paris and am debating whether or not to try again since I have been to George v and sevres without any luck as well. [emoji17]

Sorry to hear I hope that you get your bag soon!

 

[Audrey1964]

My friend Anna is in Paris this week and she went today. She stood in the queue for about 1h at 1pm and she was turned down. She said she asked for a B35 or K32 in any color or HW. She is thinking she will try again tomorrow and get more specific in case that helps. Very disappointing for her since it would be her first B. As she said in her email to me, "I am a school teacher and I cannot afford to buy $100k in Hermes products just to get a Birkin." I hope she gets something on this trip. She's leaving Sunday. This seems to be an awful month for FSH changes it seems.

Best of luck to your friend. I hope she can get a lovely bag next time.

 

[megustabrit]

I was there at FSH too today and turned down for a birkin. Very frustrating. I told the SA it was my first visit to Paris but I have been a loyal H customer for the past 10 years. I asked for a neutral colored birkin such as etoupe in either hardware in 30 cm or 35 cm. The SA did take my passport and went to look but came back saying there were no more birkins left. She was very polite. It made me sad as I walked around and saw at least two people being shown birkins. One was in etoupe. It is my last day in Paris and am debating whether or not to try again since I have been to George v and sevres without any luck as well. [emoji17]

Im sad to hear your story. Honestly, i totally understand how sad it is when you saw the others were being shown the bag you want. That keeps me thinking what reasons behind the 'no birkin bag'. Please never give up.... One day it will be yours!
Good luck

 

[bagidiotic]

I was there at FSH too today and turned down for a birkin. Very frustrating. I told the SA it was my first visit to Paris but I have been a loyal H customer for the past 10 years. I asked for a neutral colored birkin such as etoupe in either hardware in 30 cm or 35 cm. The SA did take my passport and went to look but came back saying there were no more birkins left. She was very polite. It made me sad as I walked around and saw at least two people being shown birkins. One was in etoupe. It is my last day in Paris and am debating whether or not to try again since I have been to George v and sevres without any luck as well. 😔

Itu
Your turn and luck will come soon
Cheer up

 

[Hanna Flaneur]

Hello, I will write a bit about my experience at FSH in July.

On Wednesday, I tried to get in touch with the SA who sold me my first B back in January. Upon entering the boutique I gave his name to SA who greets customers and after calling him on walkie-talkie she said he was unavailable because he already had appointments with other customers for an entire day. Not seeing anything wrong with it I said that since I'm going to be in Paris for a few days I would like to see him to make my own appointment. At this point the greeting SA looked down right angry and said that if I'm interested in a bag I need to stand in the queue with everyone else. To which I replied that I'm not interested in bags only, but other items too.
Put upon the SA called him again and said to wait. When “my” SA came down I could already see it would go nowhere. I tried to be friendly and say something about enjoying the bag he sold me and since back in January all the other things I wanted to buy as well (jewelry, scarves, belt) were not available in my size or colour pallet, but before any of that he said he only vaguely remembers me and besides he now mostly works from the office and not on the floor. Which as you can imagine was a little embarrassing to see him work on three consecutive days helping on said floor...
Mostly I didn't understand why before I even asked for anything they both felt the need to lie to me. If I got help from "my” SA, I wouldn't bother asking for any bags, just buy other things to build a relationship. Since he wasn't interested in helping me I decided to try my luck buying a bag with a random SA. It was around 11 and at that point the queue was so long I decided to come back later in the afternoon. Which I did, but after waiting for over an hour I got some young, fresh SA who mumbled no B, no K (I didn't even ask for a K) without even pretending to check.

On Thursday I went in the morning and got an older female SA. We chatted for a little bit and got along well... until she went to check my name in their system. Once she knew I already had one B, it turned into an interrogation. At some point we talked about Chanel of all things and she went: "oh so you do nothing but shop all day". I was taken aback so I simply smiled. I mean, maybe next time I will explain that when in Paris I spent 80% of my time staring at dead man's paintings, but at the time I didn't know how to respond.

On Friday morning I got a male SA. Once again everything was going in the right direction, until he checked my name. Then he came back and said they had many colours to choose from in B (or was it HAC?) in size 40. I turned it down as I explained I can't carry heavy bags (asked for B 30 or 25), yet he kept pushing to consider size 40. I end up wondering if they now have problems selling bigger sizes. Usually they are bought by men, but I noticed that majority of Asian men (more like boys really) at FSH are now carrying 35/30 as well.
I went back in the late afternoon and got a young female SA. The pattern was exactly the same. Open, nice, friendly to on her guard. And another interrogation. This time I was more prepared and gave better answers so before I left (still no bags) I asked for her name and if I can ask for her next time. She appeared to be more than happy and even said "don't worry I will take care of you". Which is why *I* let my guard down and didn't realize I was being played.
I thought it was a case of making me return a few times to "prove" my loyalty and that after being turned down two, three times I will be "rewarded" on my last try, especially since she asked when I was leaving Paris, but:
She told me not to come on Saturday, when I first talked to her she claimed there was no new delivery (I saw a delivery truck right next to the employees side door), she kept saying to come around a certain time and IF she is free between customers she will help me, as if I weren't a real customer myself, but a friend dropping by and finally when I asked her for help with items from different departments she said she can't help me with that.

I still went on Saturday (no bags) and on Monday morning I was sent away and told to come back much later. So around three which was my last chance I wasn't expecting much, but still felt disappointment when she said they had no new delivery.
Add insult to injury when I went to men’s department I saw a lady being shown a red B 25 and another one also looking at a B...
So lesson learned, don't put all your eggs in one basket!

Sorry, for the super long post, I needed to vent ullhair:

 

[barbie444]

So Sorry for your terrible experience. I think July and August are probably terrible months since everyone is on vacation and goes to Europe. I also got played by a Sevres sa in May I wanted a clutch and he kept saying for me to come back at all these hours until I gave up and said I'll see what I get at FSH. When will you be back in Paris?

Hello, I will write a bit about my experience at FSH in July.

 

[Hanna Flaneur]

So Sorry for your terrible experience. I think July and August are probably terrible months since everyone is on vacation and goes to Europe. I also got played by a Sevres sa in May I wanted a clutch and he kept saying for me to come back at all these hours until I gave up and said I'll see what I get at FSH. When will you be back in Paris?

In December, right before Christmas
I'm super excited to see Paris with all the lights and decorations, but FSH is probably going to be an utter mad house, so my expectations are super low to none

And in October, but I'll be with my sister so I dare not ask her to stand in a queue with me.

 

[EmileH]

Hello, I will write a bit about my experience at FSH in July.

On Wednesday, I tried to get in touch with the SA who sold me my first B back in January. Upon entering the boutique I gave his name to SA who greets customers and after calling him on walkie-talkie she said he was unavailable because he already had appointments with other customers for an entire day. Not seeing anything wrong with it I said that since I'm going to be in Paris for a few days I would like to see him to make my own appointment. At this point the greeting SA looked down right angry and said that if I'm interested in a bag I need to stand in the queue with everyone else. To which I replied that I'm not interested in bags only, but other items too.
Put upon the SA called him again and said to wait. When “my” SA came down I could already see it would go nowhere. I tried to be friendly and say something about enjoying the bag he sold me and since back in January all the other things I wanted to buy as well (jewelry, scarves, belt) were not available in my size or colour pallet, but before any of that he said he only vaguely remembers me and besides he now mostly works from the office and not on the floor. Which as you can imagine was a little embarrassing to see him work on three consecutive days helping on said floor...
Mostly I didn't understand why before I even asked for anything they both felt the need to lie to me. If I got help from "my” SA, I wouldn't bother asking for any bags, just buy other things to build a relationship. Since he wasn't interested in helping me I decided to try my luck buying a bag with a random SA. It was around 11 and at that point the queue was so long I decided to come back later in the afternoon. Which I did, but after waiting for over an hour I got some young, fresh SA who mumbled no B, no K (I didn't even ask for a K) without even pretending to check.

On Thursday I went in the morning and got an older female SA. We chatted for a little bit and got along well... until she went to check my name in their system. Once she knew I already had one B, it turned into an interrogation. At some point we talked about Chanel of all things and she went: "oh so you do nothing but shop all day". I was taken aback so I simply smiled. I mean, maybe next time I will explain that when in Paris I spent 80% of my time staring at dead man's paintings, but at the time I didn't know how to respond.

On Friday morning I got a male SA. Once again everything was going in the right direction, until he checked my name. Then he came back and said they had many colours to choose from in B (or was it HAC?) in size 40. I turned it down as I explained I can't carry heavy bags (asked for B 30 or 25), yet he kept pushing to consider size 40. I end up wondering if they now have problems selling bigger sizes. Usually they are bought by men, but I noticed that majority of Asian men (more like boys really) at FSH are now carrying 35/30 as well.
I went back in the late afternoon and got a young female SA. The pattern was exactly the same. Open, nice, friendly to on her guard. And another interrogation. This time I was more prepared and gave better answers so before I left (still no bags) I asked for her name and if I can ask for her next time. She appeared to be more than happy and even said "don't worry I will take care of you". Which is why *I* let my guard down and didn't realize I was being played.
I thought it was a case of making me return a few times to "prove" my loyalty and that after being turned down two, three times I will be "rewarded" on my last try, especially since she asked when I was leaving Paris, but:
She told me not to come on Saturday, when I first talked to her she claimed there was no new delivery (I saw a delivery truck right next to the employees side door), she kept saying to come around a certain time and IF she is free between customers she will help me, as if I weren't a real customer myself, but a friend dropping by and finally when I asked her for help with items from different departments she said she can't help me with that.

I still went on Saturday (no bags) and on Monday morning I was sent away and told to come back much later. So around three which was my last chance I wasn't expecting much, but still felt disappointment when she said they had no new delivery.
Add insult to injury when I went to men’s department I saw a lady being shown a red B 25 and another one also looking at a B...
So lesson learned, don't put all your eggs in one basket!

Sorry, for the super long post, I needed to vent ullhair:

I'm so sorry for your bad experience. Thank you for posting. I really do think its important for people to hear how difficult it really is and not just the success stores. I'm sure it is stressful to work there at the height of the tourist season and I understand the limited number of bags. But there has to be a better way that the whole issue can be handled to make it a more respectful experience for both customers and staff. You had the best of intentions. You are in Paris frequently and a good customer and wanted to establish a relationship with a SA. What could be a purer motive than that?

If nothing else you made me feel better about my recent decision. I was fortunate enough to be offered a bag in April at FSH, not the specific one I wanted but one I love nonetheless. I am going back in October and I thought about trying my luck to get the black birkin that I really wanted. But I was able to find a brand new one with a reputable European reseller at the same price as I would have paid at the Hermes store in the US. So I went for it. As your story shows, just because you got lucky once don't insure that you will get lucky again and the chances of finding exactly what you want are slim. (I took a kelly 40 which turned out to be great for me, but I probably would have struck out if I didn't accept the larger size and a color that I did not anticipate, but that I now love.) As you say don't put all of your eggs in one basket. I feel a sense of liberation at having the bags I wanted and not having to play the games any more. I have one more on my wish list possibly for the future but not for the next year or two. I'm not even sure I'll stand in line my next trip. I had the experience once. I think I'll count my blessings and move on.

 

[crazyaboutbags]

In December, right before Christmas
I'm super excited to see Paris with all the lights and decorations, but FSH is probably going to be an utter mad house, so my expectations are super low to none

And in October, but I'll be with my sister so I dare not ask her to stand in a queue with me.

I'm really sorry about your experience Hanna I feel for you! The way Hermes treated you is just disrespectful, everybody deserves to be treated with respect and in your case, I think these SA's crossed the line, I even feel this is an abuse of power, they have no right to play with people's feelings and with people's time.
I understand that the demand is higher than the supply but it has to be a better way to do this. I feel this type of treatment towards clients is not acceptable, even worse coming from a super luxury house like Hermes. Shame on you Hermes! I'm so sorry dear.

 

[Lynnueno]

I'm really sorry about your experience Hanna I feel for you! The way Hermes treated you is just disrespectful, everybody deserves to be treated with respect and in your case, I think these SA's crossed the line, I even feel this is an abuse of power, they have no right to play with people's feelings and with people's time.
I understand that the demand is higher than the supply but it has to be a better way to do this. I feel this type of treatment towards clients is not acceptable, even worse coming from a super luxury house like Hermes. Shame on you Hermes! I'm so sorry dear.

[emoji106]

 

[Hanna Flaneur]

I'm so sorry for your bad experience. Thank you for posting. I really do think its important for people to hear how difficult it really is and not just the success stores.

This is exactly why I decided to post about my experience. I love to read success stories and I'm truly happy for the ladies and gents from this forum who managed to get their dream bag.
At the same time there is a sense of "what is wrong with me/ what am I doing wrong that they won't sell me a bag" when you get turned down. And it’s completely irrational because it’s just a bag, but you still feel bad.

I'm also happy I helped you clear up some of your own feelings about Hermes. You really can't take them too seriously and their attitude towards you to heart.

 

[exteeen]

Some of my family members are visiting Paris, and they offered to stop by the Hermes store for me. But I would not want them to go through the trouble if the chances of the store having my bag is slim to none! I'm not interested in getting a K or B! Just looking for an Evelyne GM in gold. Does anyone know if that will be difficult as well?

 

[sonaale]

Some of my family members are visiting Paris, and they offered to stop by the Hermes store for me. But I would not want them to go through the trouble if the chances of the store having my bag is slim to none! I'm not interested in getting a K or B! Just looking for an Evelyne GM in gold. Does anyone know if that will be difficult as well?

I don't think it should be as difficult...but they will still have to queue up in the line. Best of luck!