Agree...the idea of dressing up to fit a store is galling to me as well. It just reeks too much of wanting to get into a hot club of the moment and then standing outside in a long line of people for hours. Completely unneccessary!.
question about boutique buying 'protocol' from a new member
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I don't believe for a second that cash passes hands. I have a number of birkins and many other H bags, jewelry and silks and got them the old fashioned way -- at the boutique from my SA.
If I don't dress up, (maybe it is my age) I am not helped much at all, in any store. You are lucky you don't have to! But consistently, 100% of the time, I get better service if I am dressed in recognizable designers. This goes for any store, from Banana Republic to Bottega Veneta. Sad, but true for lots of people. If I had my choice, I'd shop in my juicy couture black terry sweat suits and Uggs!
Sad to hear that you have to dress up for Banana Republic, where the Sales Associates look as if they purposefully dress down. Shopping for me needs to be stress free, i.e. casual and relaxing, as I have a high stress occupation where I am always in designer apparel. If I even catch a whiff of an SA who looks at me with condescension, my next stop is the store manager, who is happy to direct me to a more accommodating SA.
Interesting you should use that analogy. I once saw a customer come into the Cartier Store on Bond Street in London dressed in shorts and flip flops. He received impeccable service. I dont think anyone of us left with the impression he was poor. I say, each to his own....you dress up if you want, you dont dress up if you dont want to....à chacun son goût.
here's my two cent..this is just me and my observation..
i have to dress up to get good service. i think it has to do with my age and being asian, i look young (not that it's a bad thing!) but to any designer store, not just H. it's kinda sad, b/c i'd love to wear my uggs and a hoodie to shop and bf just had a convo with me yesterday about why i dressed up when i went to shop at manhasset.
but it seems like the super rich, doesn't have that issue at all, regardless of how they're dressed bc there's always a little giveaway....
i walked into Chanel once with my super rich girlfriend. her and i were very casual that day and she asked to see a small little clip from the display, and the SA that was helping her had a look like...that's the only thing you can afford?!? then of course when she wanted to purchase it and pulls out a black amex, her attitude changed 180. and that's the day when i started receiving catalogs and invites(my gf used my address b/c she lives overseas and her vacation house here is empty anyways)
or like another gf of mine whose husband has regular ferrari meets in front of the manhasset mall....believe it or not, the perk of shopping with her, is she knows all the SAs in each store and we have private bathroom access if duty calls! lolz.
so to each their own. i dress up on the days when i want to get good service. other days, i dress down b/c i just want to browse and don't want to be bothered.
either way, happy shopping everyone!
i have to dress up to get good service. i think it has to do with my age and being asian, i look young (not that it's a bad thing!) but to any designer store, not just H. it's kinda sad, b/c i'd love to wear my uggs and a hoodie to shop and bf just had a convo with me yesterday about why i dressed up when i went to shop at manhasset.
but it seems like the super rich, doesn't have that issue at all, regardless of how they're dressed bc there's always a little giveaway....
i walked into Chanel once with my super rich girlfriend. her and i were very casual that day and she asked to see a small little clip from the display, and the SA that was helping her had a look like...that's the only thing you can afford?!? then of course when she wanted to purchase it and pulls out a black amex, her attitude changed 180. and that's the day when i started receiving catalogs and invites(my gf used my address b/c she lives overseas and her vacation house here is empty anyways)
or like another gf of mine whose husband has regular ferrari meets in front of the manhasset mall....believe it or not, the perk of shopping with her, is she knows all the SAs in each store and we have private bathroom access if duty calls! lolz.
so to each their own. i dress up on the days when i want to get good service. other days, i dress down b/c i just want to browse and don't want to be bothered.
either way, happy shopping everyone!
here's my two cent..this is just me and my observation..
i have to dress up to get good service. i think it has to do with my age and being asian, i look young (not that it's a bad thing!) but to any designer store, not just H. it's kinda sad, b/c i'd love to wear my uggs and a hoodie to shop and bf just had a convo with me yesterday about why i dressed up when i went to shop at manhasset.
but it seems like the super rich, doesn't have that issue at all, regardless of how they're dressed bc there's always a little giveaway....
i walked into Chanel once with my super rich girlfriend. her and i were very casual that day and she asked to see a small little clip from the display, and the SA that was helping her had a look like...that's the only thing you can afford?!? then of course when she wanted to purchase it and pulls out a black amex, her attitude changed 180. and that's the day when i started receiving catalogs and invites(my gf used my address b/c she lives overseas and her vacation house here is empty anyways)
or like another gf of mine whose husband has regular ferrari meets in front of the manhasset mall....believe it or not, the perk of shopping with her, is she knows all the SAs in each store and we have private bathroom access if duty calls! lolz.
so to each their own. i dress up on the days when i want to get good service. other days, i dress down b/c i just want to browse and don't want to be bothered.
either way, happy shopping everyone!
I have the exact same experience as you! It is so funny, because if I had my choice, I'd rather do my shopping trips in my athletic sweats and uggs, for comfort. But you are right, when I want to get in and out and browse around without being bothered, I wear my juicy jumpsuits with uggs!
I am glad someone else has the same experience as me; for a minute I was worried I was the only one who needs to dress in my designer goods to get good service 
I think it's a generational thing. When I was much, much younger and I would go shopping with my mother or grandmother, it was a very dress-up thing. To this day, I dress as nicely as I can. No white gloves, however. Maybe my Hermes lagon gloves
Even in NY, when I visit, I do try to follow my dress code. However, when I am in St. Bart's or St. Martin and the Hermes is open, I am not dressed appropriately, and I always feel I should apologize, but it is the same thing with Cartier, and every other high end shop in the Caribbean!
I was in a Chanel boutique once and the customer handed a big wad of cash to the SA and left the store. I never knew what that was up with that. Do you think Chanel has layaway?
Again, as I said above, I dress whenever I go out to shop. You never know you will run into or where DH will take you shopping
You know the advice people give about dressing to the job you wish to obtain not the job you now have.I'm sure in vacation shops like the Caribbean, Hawaii, Las Vegas, no SA in would give you a second look.
LamborghiniGirl. i'm in uggs all winter long, and i don't change out of them unless i have to! lolz. love ur CL and lagoon B in the modeling shots! all in all, shopping is suppose to be fun. i try not to over think it and try to be as understanding as i can when it comes to customer service at H. Being an H newbie, I was quite intimidated and did have one or two bad experiences. i think it's great to want to know the shopping protocol but each individual person to person experience will be different and the vibe that you give off and receive will be different too. i try not to take it to heart, and there's plenty of SAs in various stores, find one that you truly like and feel "gets you". i don't think i will ever become a VIP customer to H, but H has definitely made a loyal fan out of me.
I have the exact same experience as you! It is so funny, because if I had my choice, I'd rather do my shopping trips in my athletic sweats and uggs, for comfort. But you are right, when I want to get in and out and browse around without being bothered, I wear my juicy jumpsuits with uggs!
Add me to the list of people who must dress up to get good service, particularly because I'm young.
hey guys.....is it true that if you don't live in the state of PA ( I live in Texas) that you cannot order any Hermes bags? Today I called the King of Prussia Hermes. I told the female SA over the phone I have been looking for a Hermes Lindy, she immediately told me that I have to be a resident of PA to order from PA. She suggested for me to call the Dallas/Houston store. I called Dallas Store, the SA--her name is Kent, was very very friendly. I called the Houston store, and wow, how rude was the lady. She did not even say what the first thing she said was i can't discuss Hermes bag over the telephone. You have to come down. That's it. Click. I have been talking to Hermes SA from other stores, they have no qualms about telling me that they are low in stocks due the holiday, and that the few ones they have are the So Kelly 22 and Evelyne III.
Guys please share your thoughts...thanks!
Guys please share your thoughts...thanks!
I do get better service at the H store when I'm dressed up and wearing my constance and click clacks. I remember before when I enter the H store I would be ignored or treated as if I "couldn't afford" anything. A couple a weeks ago, I entered the store with my sister I was wearing my constance and click clacks and my sister wearing her lindy, CDC and her H scarf, we received amazing service and the SAs would be smiling at us. Sadly, it's true dressing up and wearing your H items does help you.
No kelly, no constance, no kelly longs (wallet) and I suppose but didn't ask birkin. I have shopped at the same boutique since 08, my wishlist was jotted down last spring and I know podium time is a breath away. When I asked about the afore-mentioned items or the possibility of a special order, nope the list is closed, constances never or they are all spoken fo, never get herbag or if we do they immediate are out the door. For anyone wanting, anything, go the reseller route and save yourself a heck of a lot of angst. (I am not a r"reseller", btw.)
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