SA Etiquette: What to do if your friend's SA (not your regular SA) offers you a bag?

Thanx.!:smile: The Fjord leather is very flexible. I was really surprise about how soft it was. It's very rubbery. Like the feel of the rubber band. Not hard and stiff like Epsom. I think more flexible than Togo. I really was planning on getting another Kelly, because I was waiting for the 30 Birkin but I couldn't walk away from this bag. It is not a feminime look though. It's kind of hefty, like the bull that it came from.:amuse:
 
I think your friends SA is nicer and she showed you the bags. If you were still in the area, I would stick with her. That's just tough for the other SA. She could have told you what else was in the boutique. You are the one with the CC/check book so she should be nice to you. Reminds me of an SA who gets put out at me when I refuse the ugly bags he tries to unload on me.
 
I don't know why this thread was suggested at the bottom of another forum page I was viewing. I realize it's more than 10 years old, and many have learned much about how SA commissions on B/K/C work since then, haven't we?

I thought SAs got no commissions on selling B or K or Constance. But they do get a few per year to offer as "loyalty rewards" to their regular clients. Which is why, I suspect, the original SA was really miffed. Because they felt the friend's SA who actually sold you the Black K would now have more of your loyalty in the future. It makes sense to me that SAs would prefer to offer the few B/K/C they have an opportunity to sell to only their best clients--and those are usually the clients who spend the most with them on other H purchases for which they do get commissions.

Would some of you more SA-savvy tPFers weigh in on this to document what has been gleaned over the past decade on how these B/K/C bags work in the world of an SA? I found this thread to be an interesting read, even though it was written years ago.
 
Most of the threads suggested at the bottom of thread pages are not currently active.

If you patronise any establishment regularly it is nice to build up a relationship with the staff you usually see.
In reading many posts dealing with concerns over SAs, it is clear that in most cases the underpinning motivation to develop a relationship is be offered a B, C or K.
It is to an SAs advantage to provide good welcoming service to regular/loyal customers - especially where commission is involved.
However the 'friendship' with an SA developed by a customer is, in most situations, purely transactional - enabling the SA to make a sale (I.e. do his or her job) or the customer to get some kind of preferential treatment. They are not likely to be part of the same friendship circle outside of the workplace. All are people who come and go.
 
So my friend got a call from her SA today that her much anticipated Rouge Birkin 35 had arrived. She asked if I would go along with her for her first Birkin purchase. Well, I sort of self-invited myself. Nonetheless, we ended up going to the H store after work. As we entered the store, we saw my SA first. Then my friend's SA came out and my friend excused herself and when over to view the Birkin. I chatted with my SA. Told her I was moving soon. She asked if there was anything I wanted before I left. I told her I was looking for a 30 Birkin in black or if she saw any other colors she thought I might like.

On the other side of the store, my friend was trying out her Birkin and waving me to come over. I excused myself and told my SA that I was going to go look at the bags with my friend. After she decided to take the Rouge B (it was an entire 2 seconds), her SA asked if she was looking for anything else. Somehow the conversation ended up with her SA bring us out a 28 and 32 Kelly Souple, 32 Rouge Kelly Rigid, 28 Apple Green Kelly Souple. I couldn't help but fall in love with the 32 Black Fjord Kelly. I told them that I was waiting for a 30 Black Birkin and that my SA says I would likely get it before my move. I asked for their opinions and we unanimously decided that I was to get this 32 Black Kelly and get the 30 Birkin in a bright color.

As we head to the cash register, I pass by my SA and I tell her that my friend's SA showed me a 32 Black Kelly and I've decided to take it. I told my SA that so instead of looking for a Black Birkin if she comes across a bright color one in a 30 to let me know. To my surprise, she said to me that I should have my friend's SA help me get the Birkin since I am getting the Kelly from my friend's SA. This is really strange because my friend had bought stuff from my SA when she came along with me.

I'm wondering if I made a mistake by getting the Kelly from another SA, but what was I supposed to do when it was offered to me???

How would you girls have handled this?:blink:

(sorry this is so long winded).

If this wasn't in the context of buying a bag, I would have thought that you cheated on your significant other or talked badly about your friend and your friend caught wind of it or something like that! I honestly do not see why your current SA should be so annoyed that you bought a bag from somebody else... I mean at the end of the day, we are all helping the company they work for bring in a good profit and in turn, helping them put food on their plate - I just see it as bizarre as to why she would have acted that way.... maybe she was just having a bad day?
 
B and K are measured against sales in other categories, they are not loyalty rewards but are able to be sold after the store has achieved a balance of sales across categories. This is why buying from select categories can be advantageous in bringing about bag offers. Jewelry, watches, higher priced RTW bring up sales across the store, so the store can release more bags. Who those bags go to is ultimately up to the store manager. All bag sales must be approved by the manager. Its easier at the end of the month vs beginning of a new one.

Getting a bag offer comes down to not just your profile of spending but also if they like you. My SA sells a lot, she gets to offer bags and sometimes can offer them to clients with lower spending profiles ( like me) because she sells to her clients broadly. Most of her clients have lots of bags and are looking for specific things so she has more available bag offers if she gets a bag someone wants one. This is why walk ins can sometimes get lucky. But the goal always is to convert bag clients into lifetime clients. H cannot be sustained on B/K alone and all these systems and processes are about cultivating a client base that buys across the store.

As for the OPs scenario, it is not easy to get bags to offer among all the different SAs. When desirable bags come in, they draw names lottery style and get to go down the list of clients who want it. I would venture that the original SA was disappointed that OP got a bag when they had been working on sales that would add to her profile as well as trying to find a bag for her. It could have been handled more graciously by the SA but its best to work with your SA for everything and if you wish to switch, talk to the manager before doing anything. Just like any work environment, it can be competitive and you don't want to wander in between SAs interpersonal drama.
 
... the goal always is to convert bag clients into lifetime clients. H cannot be sustained on B/K alone and all these systems and processes are about cultivating a client base that buys across the store.

I am sure this right. Interest in the brand, knowledge of the products and their alternatives seems to be important for purchase success. A much sounder footing than trying to play a game for which the rules are not set down and, even if they were, are subject to change at will.