Relationship w/ CL SA

canismajor

sofa king zen
O.G.
Mar 18, 2007
1,952
44
Having only purchased CLs online or on eBay, I've never conversed with an SA about CLs. Recently, I have been mentally preparing myself, mustering enough courage, to take the next step: go into Saks and/or NM and physically try on a pair of CLs at the floor.

I normally never have more than 2 minutes of encounter w/ an SA at the shoe department. My standard procedure is to ask for shoes, try them on, and then run away--swiftly. They scare me. They hover like vultures and close-in fast. :s:

What has your experience been? Do you have a designated SA? How did you build your particular 'loyal' relationship? How does an SA treat his customers fairly or unfairly?

TIA! :flowers:
 
I have one designated SA at the NM I go to. Normally when I go in there, the SA's don't hover. They say look around and let them know if they can help. If I go in there, and my SA is not there I usually don't buy anything. She is very nice. She knows me by name and remembers every shoe I bought from her. She doesn't even ask me what size I want anymore because she knows. She even remembers my bags. She'll say "that shoe will go well with such and such bag".

Once you find that SA you really like, you will not be running away. lol
 
An SA should make you feel at ease because they want you to shell out a lot of money for their pricey shoes, they obviously work on commission so they want you to be in their department for as long as possible trying on as many shoes as you can since this increases the chances that you will be buying one or more pairs.
If you ever feel uncomfortable around an SA that approaches or hovers around you, then just wait for someone friendlier to approach you. Or better yet, approach someone that you think you would get along with.
Relationships with SAs take time to build but the key is to show loyalty and they will reciprocate. Even if you buy one pair of shoes per season, as long as you see the same SA every time you visit the store/department, they will be grateful that you remembered their customer service and returned to them.

Just remember - the SA is there to HELP you, so take advantage of it. Especially with CLs, it is so hard to find the right fit and style, so you have to try on a lot of pairs to get it right.

Don't ever let an SA intimidate you. I know that SAs in high end handbag departments are known to do this as I've read about in other areas of this forum.
 
Don't ever let an SA intimidate you. I know that SAs in high end handbag departments are known to do this as I've read about in other areas of this forum.

Yes, perhaps I'm drawing too much from experience w/ other departments I've visted: the attitude at the makeup counter, at the sunglasses counter, at the handbag area. The anxiety only grows when I look towards the shoe floor and see plenty of them standing around--easily spotted by the numbers because it's more open.

Thanks for sharing, Kamilla850 and gemruby41... :smile:
 
For some reason I find that the make up SA's are a lot more stuck up and obnoxious than others. Sorry, if you work as such or if anyone dear to you does but that's been my experience.

I've only ever been to one place that sells Louboutin and I found my SA at the Horatio boutique to be lovely. Not pushy at all and very helpful and friendly.
 
I feel the same way, even though every SA I've delt with has been nice and technically un-intimidating. I've yet to buy CLs in person, but Manolos and others have been bought at Saks. I just try to relax and remember that I dont have to buy anything if I dont want to. I just hate being watched. I like to try shoes on in a quiet corner, preferable with hubby blocking me from view. But I'm like this in clothing stores too - I like being left alone.

Does anyone find a difference between male SAs and female? Which do you prefer?
 
Just relax and take your time. I do look for SA's who are patient and don't pressure me. I have not felt intimidated or pressured by SA's in NM or Saks. I have been an SA so I treat them politely and make it clear what I like and that I know what I am talking about with CL. It does help to connect with a certain SA and keep going to him or her.
 
^Yes, that's a good point: Male or Female? If I were able to choose my help when I go visit CLs in person, which SA should I flag down?

My experience with male SAs has been more pleasurable than my encounters with female SAs:shrugs: Although, most of them in NM are quite nice, the SA that I always go to, whether I'm purchasing or not is a male.

I agree with the other posts: don't feel intimidated....it's YOUR money and when it comes to CL, you'll be spending a lot of it, so you hold all the cards:lol: If you're not pleased with the service, ask someone else to help you. Once you build that relationship, they are the best resources! You'll find out about sales, promotions, new shipments, etc. before anyone else and they are great at tracking down shoes for you once you've built that rapport. Happy SA hunting!
 
I have a SA at Bob Ellis, and I find that I get along better with male SAs. They sometimes seem to know more than their female counterparts, and I'm just more comfortable around them. And I completely agree with ShoeDarling -- the perfect SA will become a great resource!
 
I have used several SAs in the past for handbags and shoes. I have one male SA at Bob Ellis and he emails me every week with sales, what's new etc.!! He is very thorough..and the females I have are quite nice also. They can be quite the enabler, but I don't feel obligated to always purchase from them. It is your $$ and you can always say no.....When I found a person I liked and that was knowledgable (which is the KEY), I asked for their card, and if I could call on them in the future for more purchases. Then, I send a Thank You card if they do a good job, find an item I want, etc....hope this helps!
 
^Yes, that's a good point: Male or Female? If I were able to choose my help when I go visit CLs in person, which SA should I flag down?

This is my personal opinion, and please feel free to disregard. I find that male SAs are more "helpful" in that they tend to want to put the shoes on my feet, which I personally find a little creepy! It seems fetishistic to me. I may be weird, but I want to put my shoes on myself, thank you very much. I prefer a female.
 
I actually have 1 SA at the CL store in Hong Kong that's very nice to me. I've only bought 1 pair of shoes from her and whenever I go back she remembers me by name and will show me new stuff. Overall, the staff there are very willing to help and very well-mannered. The store manager is also very willing to check the store's inventory for you over the phone!
 
I haven't really built a "relationship" with an SA, what bags are concerned especially Bal I have worked with a couple of diffrent SA's at diffrent places because I wasn't able to get colors/styles I wanted at one place.
For CL's I have done a lot of ebayshopping but started to get on a waitlist and do a special order so I chose to work with one SA I liked when I was in the shop.
I also tend to prefer male SA's . Please don't feel intimidated, personally I don't anymore (I will turn 40 soon so too old for that:P) but I did in the past, french SA's are much less friendly than american SA's, just always remember that you "pay" their salary!

Now I admit that a nice and helpful SA can absolutely enable me as much as a snotty can totally make me take my buisness elsewhere.
I think buying luxury items in shop should be a pleasent experience!
 
i've made friends with most of the SAs in the shoe boutique here that sells CL and became a vip member whose entitled to 10% off on most brands like CL, YSL, Chloe etc since i frequently buy shoes from them. i don't like pushy SAs at all, i tend to remember them and not buy from them the next time i see them. i am very particular with the SA who is serving me and will only pick the ones whom i know well enough to feel comfortable and pleasant with. it's important to be nice to the one who is serving you as well! i've come across ridiculous and impossible customers when i was shopping!

and as for charge sends, i have an SA in Saks shoe salon whom i always buy from (and refer my friends to, since he's just so amazing the only thing i can do for him is to bring him more businesses besides mine lol) b/c i just love how sweet and polite he is and he is willing to go to the end to get whatever i want and make me happy!

start building a r/s with an SA whom you are satisfied with. i've been keeping up my r/s with my SA - he keeps shoes aside for me when the sale period is here, he will let me know first hand new things that come in and whether or not he thinks i'll like it! i think that's what a r/s is about - i help you, you help me, we help everyone else and everyone's happy! LOL