I appreciate everyone's responses reiterating that it's not a personal failing to not receive an offer for a QB around 1:1. I am new to the Hermes Journey and while I love the brand and see myself growing into a long term client, I of course want a QB as soon as possible (my first love is handbags). Knowing that it would be abnormal to receive an offer at 1:1 is helping me keep my expectations in check and allowing me to enjoy the journey a lot more. If it happens at 1:1 I'll be overjoyed, but I am not holding my breath.
Spend threshold for B/K/C
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@OnlyModa - I do not have much to add since @acrowcounted already responded that it is still possible even if it may be unlikely in the US.
First, what worked for me may not work for others. This is what I meant when I state, "Your Mileage May Vary" (YMMV), multiple times. I even confessed that I did not do well in my home store in the US last year (as I only got 1 QB [gold B35 phw/togo] with the ratio of 1.554:1). Because I learned from my mistake, I think I do know how to avoid it in the future. (But, I don't have to do much as I am at purse peace.) Also, my ratio of 1.554:1 for B35 would have been a 1:1 ratio if B35 in box leather arrived in the store last year. My SA in the US still promised me earlier this year that I will get the box Birkin 35 when it comes into the store this year. So, I will have to see if it will be fulfilled or not, and I will need to see if my over-spent 1.554:1 ratio can be somewhat erased by the box B35 or not. My friend, on the other hand, told me that I did it exceptionally well in my home store in the US last year since I placed a SO and got a Maxi Kelly 42 without any pre-spends last year. So, I think it is a matter of perspective.
Second, I used to post a lot of revealing information before, and I have regretted it a lot. (I now therefore never respond to any inquiries, etc. that are store- or location-specific threads on this Forum.) It is my decision whether (or how much) I share my experiences here.
Because everyone is different, all I can say was that one must do his/her/their homework on his/her/their own and figure it out. I have no problem that you (and the majority) go with the "2.5-3:1 ratio" as the norm for a B25/K25 in the US.
@FlairBear - I am sorry if I sounded insensitive/elitist. I have no intent of discrediting how others pre-spend to score QBs. I was only sharing my experience. One can simply ignore my posts if it is not helpful.
I also do admit that I was lucky in Europe. I did not do anything unusual/spectacular, however. I just talked to multiple (preferably male) SAs and had a good vibe with them to get the insight, etc. (I even dropped harsh jokes to the SAs sometimes - "Why do some of women's RTW remind me of my grandma?" And, we just clicked so well.) I do not have any secret source, except for the first appointment I had at FSH (where my friend helped me setting this up); I was after Maxi Kelly 42 in January 2024 in Paris and FSH didn't have one. I later got the Maxi Kelly 42 from my US home store instead. Let me repeat: I only got help once from FSH. There is no insiders in Paris or in other European stores that helped me otherwise.
I also have no affiliation with Tanya or any other influencers. My only role model in this H world so far is Christine Lagarde. She is so successful in her career and I personally think that she fits so well with how H defines their luxury. In the same vein, I try to be successful in my own career and enjoy what H can offer.
I already regret sharing my experience here, and I will stop here. If my posts are not helpful, just move on. No argument is necessary.
If I stayed in Ritz or the like, I would have posted my OOTD mod shots there. Let me confess this: I honestly have no money to do this approach. Plus, all my airfare and lodging were fully covered by the third party in my last two visits to Europe. So, I would say I am quite economic. You can safely rule this out for my H shopping strategy.
But, if this is your best answer for your homework, then you could try this approach and see how it goes. I think no one can blame anyone for bribing the SAs for a B35; it is their money and it is up to them however they spend. [Fyi, I know of someone who got B25/K25s repeatedly from George V with minimal spends in that store by staying in the Four Seasons Hotel in George V. This is somewhat publicly known anyway. Is it the norm? No, but it is possible.]
Lastly, I understand that you are trying to belittle how the B35 is the least desirable. I am a male client and I was only after a size of 35 cm or bigger. (I have already declined B25s multiple times from my US home store and in Europe for this reason.) From your multiple posts, I can easily tell that you just want to attack me for what I shared, and that is quite shameful. (This is not the first time you attacked me like this in public, and you agree, right?) If my post is not helpful, just move on. You do not need to present yourself like this.
PS. I will no longer respond to inquiries about my experience. Good luck with pre-spends and acquiring the QBs, all!
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Thank you! I have specified to my SA that I'd like a B30 for my first QB. We'll see how it goes. As you say, it's a bag. The world will keep spinning whether or not I get one, but I hope I get lucky!
I am not attacking anyone or belittling any bag. I also don't need to do any "homework." But if I came across as being unkind to you, I do sincerely apologize.
Anyone considering this approach should remind themselves of the warnings in the signs displayed prominently at the counter of their H boutique.
And no, it won’t count towards “pre-spend.”
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No inside info here😅, if I had any I would have the “house bag” by now (as my husband calls it) with all we spend.😅
If 2023 counts as a recent year, then yes I got my B35 from SF at less than a 1:1 spend.
Out of curiosity, and sorry if I didn’t read back far enough, what is your dream bag?
A one time newcomer walk-in to Madison also purchased a B35 without spend in 2024
However, I believe @OnlyModa , @nikotama , and others may be referring to the assertion that a BK25 should be attainable at extraordinarily low prespend. Most of us do not have that experience.Some members may disagree, but over time (reading TPF threads) IMO, B35s, when available in stock, are easier to purchase than smaller sizes. I am also a +1 on my DHs account (worldwide), and I’ve been told (by my two local SAs and the men’s manager as well as my FSH SA) that since Hermes is actively trying to build up its men’s rtw, MtM, and bespoke lines, that this gives me an advantage. An SA in the Ginza Tokyo store also told me the same thing (she was also very proud that Ginza apparently sells the most menswear in the world).
ETA: These statements also make me think that it’s possible if a male account holder requests a bag, he may have a slight advantage (simply based on conversations I’ve had with H staff and management). Whether that translates into less prespend, IDK
ETA: of course, with everything going on in the world today, all of us, bag or not, are fortunate to be able to hang out on this thread and focus on stuff like this
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Absolutely agree, @OnlyModa is absolutely correct and @880 and I are some of the extraordinarily lucky Hermes fans who have ZERO complaints re: spend and relationship. We post here to provide information, which is what I presume most people want to read. Others come on here to vent, to flex, to scold, to congratulate, or to support. If people are reacting in a fashion that is counter to what was expected, then maybe it is time to reflect, especially if more than one person is reacting adversely to a post. With that said, to keep on topic, B35s are easily obtainable at 1:1 because of their higher cost, and less desirable size and weight. (Caveat: B35 1:1 or less ratio would be my experience, but I have a long established relationship and a reliable, shopping addiction) The same can be said for exotics. One can get exotics for 1:1 or less because of their higher cost. I believe in this economy, assuming Hermes produces bags at the same rate, bags will be easier to obtain.A one time newcomer walk-in to Madison also purchased a B35 without spend in 2024
Some members may disagree, but over time (reading TPF threads) IMO, B35s, when available, are easier to obtain than smaller sizes. I am also a +1 on my DHs account (worldwide), and I’ve been told that since Hermes is actively trying to build up its men’s rtw, MtM, and bespoke lines, that this gives me an advantage.
To obtain a smaller bag, the higher on the preference list you have to be, whether you have been waiting longer or spent more recently or overall. What also helps is if the SM and SA knows and likes you.
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I don’t even know, I have a huge list of bags I would love to have. So far I couldn’t even express what my dream bag would be to any SA, because it seems no one has ever cared. If it is so hard for me to get any leather QB, imagine anything special.
Perfectly worded. 👏
The more I think about the prespend topic, the more I feel like it can be misleading when you start to generalize because it’s really store/SA dependent. There just will always be factors that are out of yours and the store’s/SA’s hands in terms of getting the offer. Did your store order your preferred wish? Does your SA have another client who has the same exact wish? Do you spend more than that person? There’s just so much you can’t really predict when it comes to when you get an offer because we just don’t have access to that information.
All that to say, if your goal is a QB and you start to focus too much on pre-spend levels you might just be fighting a losing battle in terms of expectations and excitement of receiving an offer. It’s just one data point in the overall grand scheme of getting an offer and imo a check the box item unless you’re a big spender dropping 6 figures each visit.
This is really how I personally gauge getting an offer and rationalize in my head:
60% inventory availability
30% customer potential (shopping various metiers and interest in the brand - the “maintaining a relationship” part)
10% pre-spend
^ that’s just a formula for me at a US store that’s not competitive. Obviously prespend is a lot higher factor at stores that are more competitive (SoCal) or straight forward with their prespend requirements (China)
💯 agree with this and with the deep experience and advice of @haute okole and @880.
I'd add another personal perspective, which is that for me spend is more of an outworking of the relationship rather than the driver per se (I don't keep track of my spend). If you enjoy spending time with your SA, you are known as a pleasant client, you like the H offering across métiers, and you have a demonstrated love for the brand, spend naturally flows according to your budget. If you try to work it the other way (ie make buying decisions based primarily on what level you think your spend needs to be at without regard for the qualitative aspects I mentioned) it seems like a recipe for dissatisfaction because you are making unfounded assumptions about all the factors and data points @authenticbbq listed above - none of which you can actually control (assuming that like most of us you are not a VVIP level client).
And, if you are fortunate with how your store or SM happens to work, and you are able to build a strong relationship qualitatively with your SA, another advantage that sometimes flows is some ability to influence what is ordered at podium (which can help with @authenticbbq 's point about inventory availability). Sure, somewhere in a back room, the SM is looking at your spend as part of their decision-making on allocation. But your SA will go in to bat for you over client [y] whose spend is similar to yours, for reasons that go way beyond spend. So for me, the better approach is to focus on the qualitative aspects of the overall experience and relationship and let spend take care of itself. JMO
@Bag lusting
If you do end up texting your SA about spend as @FrenchNewbie suggest, I’d like to know if your SA actually responds via text.
I have one week left to face my fate in FSH. lol. What’s the current state of the pre-spending for an average customer, we’ll see. I’m hoping 😂😂 But there’s still a chance we might make the spending and not see any results. 🤣🤣🤣🤣