Treatment in Hermes Stores

[lady786]

I have to say I find that ridiculous. I know it's a personal opinion but "loyal customers" should not get dibs. My money is just as good as your money and if they have an item available for purchase I should be able to buy it. Resellers 1. I shouldn't have to go to a reseller when there are bags available in a store 2. They charge a ridiculous premium and when I'm already gonna throw down $20k I should have to pay an extra $5k to a "loyal customer" trying to make a quick dollar. I myself do not love H as a brand. I think their scarves are ugly and most of the jewelry as well. I don't particularly like any other bags besides the Birkin and Constance. I shouldn't have to go into their store and buy a bunch of crap I don't like or want just to be deemed fit enough to purchase the one thing I do want.

I've never had an issue with any other luxury brand. I don't own any handbag that isn't a designer brand. I walk into chanel and if they have the bag I'm looking for, they sell it to me. I shouldn't have to purchase second hand. I'm not really worried about getting a birkin from a specific store, I know that there are stores around the world you can walk in and get one if they have one, so it's a moot point. I'm mainly speaking on the opinion of women on here that think they deserve preferential treatment because they spend more money there than I do and that makes them more valued as a customer. Obviously someone who loves everything hermes makes and considers it "their brand" will spend more than I. I would never tell someone looking for a chanel flap that I deserve it more and they can go get theirs from secondhand if they want one, that's preposterous.

Hi I see your point because I had similar views few years ago but there are key things that I learnt
1) Hermes is not in the same league as Chanel or LV
2) there bags are beyond superb quality and high in demand.
3) as a privately owned company they have every right to make their policies and if you don't like them then just don't go to the their stores.
4) all loyal customers have worked hard and built a relationship with a specific SA and a specific boutique and if they have gone through all this then why a random customer who hates H except B and K should have anymore priority. Sorry you can't apply Chanel and other high end brands example here. I was also interested in B and K but as I discovered the brand I grew honest love for it.
5) not all loyal customers are selling to resellers and how do we know that a customer who just gets B or K by first come first service is not going to sell to resellers.
Their items are highly desirable and people go to different lengths to score a bag if you don't want to follow Hermes policies you have the choice to stay away and not buy anything and sometimes you can get a good deal from resellers too.
Hope this helps. Now back to topic.

 

[chicinthecity777]

I have to say I find that ridiculous. I know it's a personal opinion but "loyal customers" should not get dibs. My money is just as good as your money and if they have an item available for purchase I should be able to buy it. Resellers 1. I shouldn't have to go to a reseller when there are bags available in a store 2. They charge a ridiculous premium and when I'm already gonna throw down $20k I should have to pay an extra $5k to a "loyal customer" trying to make a quick dollar. I myself do not love H as a brand. I think their scarves are ugly and most of the jewelry as well. I don't particularly like any other bags besides the Birkin and Constance. I shouldn't have to go into their store and buy a bunch of crap I don't like or want just to be deemed fit enough to purchase the one thing I do want.

Actually your money is not "as good" as some of the royal clients in Hermes terms. That's how they operate. Again, it's very simple, if you don't like how they do business, you go somewhere else. There is no law against not selling something to someone.

 

[chicinthecity777]

Hi I see your point because I had similar views few years ago but there are key things that I learnt
1) Hermes is not in the same league as Chanel or LV
2) there bags are beyond superb quality and high in demand.
3) as a privately owned company they have every right to make their policies and if you don't like them then just don't go to the their stores.
4) all loyal customers have worked hard and built a relationship with a specific SA and a specific boutique and if they have gone through all this then why a random customer who hates H except B and K should have anymore priority. Sorry you can't apply Chanel and other high end brands example here. I was also interested in B and K but as I discovered the brand I grew honest love for it.
5) not all loyal customers are selling to resellers and how do we know that a customer who just gets B or K by first come first service is not going to sell to resellers.
Their items are highly desirable and people go to different lengths to score a bag if you don't want to follow Hermes policies you have the choice to stay away and not buy anything and sometimes you can get a good deal from resellers too.
Hope this helps. Now back to topic.

Exactly and you are quite on topic IMG.

 

[bagidiotic]

Hi I see your point because I had similar views few years ago but there are key things that I learnt
1) Hermes is not in the same league as Chanel or LV
2) there bags are beyond superb quality and high in demand.
3) as a privately owned company they have every right to make their policies and if you don't like them then just don't go to the their stores.
4) all loyal customers have worked hard and built a relationship with a specific SA and a specific boutique and if they have gone through all this then why a random customer who hates H except B and K should have anymore priority. Sorry you can't apply Chanel and other high end brands example here. I was also interested in B and K but as I discovered the brand I grew honest love for it.
5) not all loyal customers are selling to resellers and how do we know that a customer who just gets B or K by first come first service is not going to sell to resellers.
Their items are highly desirable and people go to different lengths to score a bag if you don't want to follow Hermes policies you have the choice to stay away and not buy anything and sometimes you can get a good deal from resellers too.
Hope this helps. Now back to topic.

Gd point gd post
I love it

 

[Gscott88]

There's nothing wrong with reselling or making a profit. There is a range if resellers with a range of markups and items, new and used. I've bought from resellers and the store and see no real difference.

So you think it's ok to rip people off? Resellers are the reason the luxury handbag industry is becoming more and more ridiculous. Designers don't like resellers anymore than the buyers do. I work hard for my money, I'm not gonna throw it away by purchasing from a reseller. Example: there's a reseller that had a beautiful flap bag in fuchsia from this year for sale. I asked her how much and she told me $6500 for a m/l. That is $2000 OVER retail, for an item currently being sold in stores. For that I could buy a flap and a wallet or another bag from another designer. That is absolutely absurd and I'm kind of surprised that's the attitude some women are responding with.

 

[beekmanhill]

It seems to me that if Hermes is so selective in its selling policies, then they must know who the resellers are and could easily ban them from buying if they chose.



Obviously, they choose not to do it.


I too would never buy a new bag from a reseller who charges me more than list price.

 

[Gscott88]

Actually your money is not "as good" as some of the royal clients in Hermes terms. That's how they operate. Again, it's very simple, if you don't like how they do business, you go somewhere else. There is no law against not selling something to someone.

I'm obviously not comparing myself to royals or celebrities, that's a given. I'm talking about everyday regular women that work for their money and reward themselves with bags. I would expect the queen of England to get preferential treatment -_-

 

[mistikat]

So you think it's ok to rip people off? Resellers are the reason the luxury handbag industry is becoming more and more ridiculous. Designers don't like resellers anymore than the buyers do. I work hard for my money, I'm not gonna throw it away by purchasing from a reseller. Example: there's a reseller that had a beautiful flap bag in fuchsia from this year for sale. I asked her how much and she told me $6500 for a m/l. That is $2000 OVER retail, for an item currently being sold in stores. For that I could buy a flap and a wallet or another bag from another designer. That is absolutely absurd and I'm kind of surprised that's the attitude some women are responding with.

I've bought from a number of resellers for less than retail. Have never felt ripped off. I've bought for more than retail for a high demand item and didn't feel ripped off.

 

[mistikat]

I'm obviously not comparing myself to royals or celebrities, that's a given. I'm talking about everyday regular women that work for their money and reward themselves with bags. I would expect the queen of England to get preferential treatment -_-

This is their business model and it works very well for them. You can rail against it all you want but that's how most high end luxury retailers work. Because the business model is profitable for them.

 

[Gscott88]

Hi I see your point because I had similar views few years ago but there are key things that I learnt
1) Hermes is not in the same league as Chanel or LV
2) there bags are beyond superb quality and high in demand.
3) as a privately owned company they have every right to make their policies and if you don't like them then just don't go to the their stores.
4) all loyal customers have worked hard and built a relationship with a specific SA and a specific boutique and if they have gone through all this then why a random customer who hates H except B and K should have anymore priority. Sorry you can't apply Chanel and other high end brands example here. I was also interested in B and K but as I discovered the brand I grew honest love for it.
5) not all loyal customers are selling to resellers and how do we know that a customer who just gets B or K by first come first service is not going to sell to resellers.
Their items are highly desirable and people go to different lengths to score a bag if you don't want to follow Hermes policies you have the choice to stay away and not buy anything and sometimes you can get a good deal from resellers too.
Hope this helps. Now back to topic.

I understand your points. I think it's misunderstood what I was speaking on. I'm not complaining about hermes policies. I understand how they work. I was giving my opinion on someone's comment that someone should go buy from a reseller because loyal customers come first. It's just my opinion, I know it doesn't work like that.

 

[hrhsunshine]

I want a new unused bag and I don't want to buy it second hand at a marked up price. I understand from this forum that there are quite a lot of new bags offered second hand and I don't want to encourage that type of re-selling to make a profit. Hermes does not want that either and that is why they have limited the purhases of B and K to one per year.

There's nothing wrong with reselling or making a profit. There is a range if resellers with a range of markups and items, new and used. I've bought from resellers and the store and see no real difference.

I agree with mistikat that there is nothing wrong with reselling or making a profit. Sometimes price gouging can get crazy but you have to think that resellers won't normally be able to mark up prices beyond what the market will bear anyway.

If you are looking for a B or K, you have to have that long-term relationship with the SA/store..meaning you buy lots of stuff. At the end of the day, you have spent thousands on smaller items to even get the chance at the B or K. Overall, the total amount out-of-pocket will be at current reseller prices for a new bag or even more. It is a matter of where do you want that money to go? A single reseller bag OR to a bunch of smaller items and possibly to a B or K straight from H?

 

[mistikat]

What I expect in any store is a consistent level of decent service, which I have experienced at all the Hermes stores I've visited. I have never bought anything at Hermes I didn't want, and never spent in order to obtain something else. I do understand that some items may be harder than others to buy and I am fine with that, and I also understand that can be frustrating for someone who only wants one thing, and it may happen to be a very hard to get thing, like a specific CDC or a specific bag.

Basically, I genuinely like the brand, and there are a lot of things I would happily get there. To me, the treatment at Hermes is no different than anywhere else. If I am a regular at a restaurant, they will likely give me a better table - but I would expect others to get the same level of service. VIB Rouge at Sephora gets different access to items - but the same level of service - because they spend the most of all Sephora customers. There are many, many examples of this at all levels of service/retail. What Hermes does is not unusual, especially at the high end.

I also understand that supply and demand will drive up prices on the secondary market. It is like that with every commodity. I don't think you can point a finger at resellers for that or make a blanket statement that they are ripping people off. A lot of people would say that anything over $50 for a bag is a ripoff.

 

[beekmanhill]

By the way, to my knowledge, Hermes is not a private company. It is a company traded on the stock exchange in Europe. Descendants of the founding family have a controlling interest, over 50%. They in fact banded together when it was revealed last year or so that LVMH had acquired 23% of the stock. They assumed LVMH was trying to take over. The over 50% group formed a trust with all its stock so that they could retain all voting control.

 

[Mindi B]

Also, I'd like to suggest that sometimes (not inevitably, but sometimes) having a genuine love for the brand gets one better service and access to more items. I have been told sotto voce by more than one SA that they would much rather sell to someone who clearly likes the brand and knows a little about its history and its current product, than to someone who walks in for the first time and demands a Birkin. This is not to suggest that such an attitude is Hermes policy, but it is definitely a perspective that develops from dealing with too many clients acting uncivil because Hermes can't--and won't--pull out anything for anyone, anytime. ********ic? No. Fair? Arguable. Fact? Yup.

 

[lady786]

By the way, to my knowledge, Hermes is not a private company. It is a company traded on the stock exchange in Europe. Descendants of the founding family have a controlling interest, over 50%. They in fact banded together when it was revealed last year or so that LVMH had acquired 23% of the stock. They assumed LVMH was trying to take over. The over 50% group formed a trust with all its stock so that they could retain all voting control.

Yes but the family owns more than 50% just so they can keep control on the quality of craftsmanship and control on their old traditions and that's why they give such hard time to LVMH as they know they will commercialize it .......so with majority share holding they are in control and it is within family
Now seriously back to topic !!!