Well, here's hoping it's fairer (my definition of fair, of course) in reality than it's being made out to be (or at least in the stores where I plan to shop!!) 
Treatment in Hermes Stores
- Thread starter Fendi84NJ
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Hermes may not be to your liking for a variety of reasons, but certainly it is
not "crap". It is a very prestigious line of leather goods, beautifully crafted
& well made. It has a loyal following & is gaining a new following for many.
It is not always about money or how much money someone can spend.
It is also about how one treats a SA & how the relationship begins. Many
SA's are happy to build relationships & are professional to know that it may or may
not be a one time purchase.
Many people will go to a reseller or an auction house to find a bag
that may not be availabel at H... if someone wants that bag bad enough
& they are prepared to pay, it is what it is.. supply & demand.. it works
that way for many high end designer bags ...
If you wanted a Chanel flap bag & asked your SA for it would you
not expect that phone call to come to you first before someone walks
into Chanel & asks for the same bag you are interetsed in??
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I totally agree, Mistikat - I think virtually every company rewards their most loyal customers. Heck, even service businesses do so - and why not? Those are the folks that are keeping the companies afloat.
I can't tell if the poster's anger is directed at H for doing what everyone else does or at other posters for disagreeing with her.
I'm confused - you object stridently to H treating their loyal customers well, but think it is fine when Chanel does it?!?
http://forum.purseblog.com/chanel-shopping/chanel-spring-summer-2014-a-839411-366.html#post26408181
Or maybe that is because you "do not love H as a brand" and find their merchandise "ugly" and "a bunch of crap". Sounds like you should just stick to Chanel where you are happy.
I concur the sentiment that every company has ways of rewarding their loyal costumers, such as reward points or mileage points, pre-sale or private sale events, etc. It's naive to assume that everyone's hard-earned dollars have equal values. I think what angers/frustrates most is the lack of a clear "reward" system that is seen arbitrary and subjective. But in Hermes' defense, if they had a publicized reward system purely based monetary spending, only millionaires or billionaires would get B and K because they will always easily outspent common folks like me. It is precisely because Hermes allows costumers to build personal relationships with SAs, and allows SAs at stores to "randomly" sell B and K to tourists/walk-ins, that allow more people to enjoy owning its bags.
It's not a perfect system, and I may never get my B under the system, but life is not perfect and there are other priorities in life to worry over.
I think in your perspective, the loyal customer is more or less sure of buying it, but that wasn't what I wanted to portray. The loyal customer likes the idea of the item, but isn't into it enough to make a commitment, that's why she waits until next week to see it. That isn't an actual purchase agreement, so the bag is fair game. On the other hand, there IS a purchase agreement if the bag was on pre-order (obviously! Haha!) or if loyal customer was like, "A red Birkin! I will get there today! I so want it!" so the SA can hold it. Perhaps a better way would be for the SA to call the loyal customer while showing new customer the bag, so loyal customer can decide if she wants it enough to commit to buying it? If yes, then SA can hold and new customer can pre-order. If not, new customer walks home happy or loyal customer goes home happy next week.
Of course, the SA probably has more than one loyal customer - as do other SAs in the store. There is a good likelihood that at least one of them will be interested in a lovely red bag. I don't see that a "purchase agreement" is required in order to hold a bag. Nor does it make sense to have the loyal customer get into the boutique the same day - many of us have jobs that don't permit us to zip in to the boutique the same day the SA calls (darn it!!) I don't see why the bag should be available to walk ins before loyal customers. Most of us on this board have invested a lot of time, energy and money in our H "collections"!!
Sorry, but I totally disagree here - I have had SAs at all manner of stores from H down to small neighborhood boutiques hold something for me. And when they hold it, it is unavailable to others until I can come in, make up my mind and purchase or decline. An SA wouldn't last long by agreeing to hold items - but just until someone else asked about them. Never heard of anyone doing that!!
I'm very surprised to see this comment from someone who buy luxury goods.
It's a simple understanding of market supply and demand, also business in general.
If you can buy that Chanel fuchsia flap bag at a Chanel store, why do you even ask a reseller or even looking for listings for this bag ? Resellers can command so-called ridiculous price for any bags because there's Demand for it. Simple as that. Why would that be a rip off? Not everyone view money they way you do.
How much do you think the farmers earn compared to the price of vegetables you buy at the supermarket ? Would you call the supermarkets a rip-off too then ?
If there will be a shortage of milk supply in the world tomorrow, you will see how much they will sell a carton of milk for. Again, simple theory, when there's a shortage of milk, suppliers Will increase price and people will buy milk from "resellers" too.
Luxury goods meant for people who can afford the luxury, that is why they are called luxury in the first place. If anyone and everyone can afford luxury, it will be called differently.
Certain Patek Philippe watch can only be bought after getting personal approval from CEO of PP, meaning only PP can deem that you are worthy of owning this watch.
I shudder what you would think of this way of selling then.
Well, here's hoping it's fairer (my definition of fair, of course) in reality than it's being made out to be (or at least in the stores where I plan to shop!!)
Sorry to be harsh dear, but your opinion of what is fair only applies to you. I consider myself as loyal customer of the brand, and I think your hypothetical scenario is highly unfair to me.
As Mistikat said, on hold means on hold. Reserve for 1 person and not available for others. It will mean the same thing for any other businesses. If in my business, I hold merchandise for 1 of my existing customer and a new customer comes requesting the exact same item, assuming I don't have another one available, I would say that it's not available at the moment. If I sell that item to the new customer after confirming to my existing customer that I'm putting it on hold for them, that would be the stupidest thing I can do for my business. Why would I risk losing a good, repeating, existing customer for a new customer who I don't even know the potential for future business? Any relationship is based on trust, if my customers cannot trust me, I will not have any business to run. No difference with Hermes.
I think we should move on from this conversation. For me it is important that all customers are treated nicely and politely by an SA regarless if they are shopping for a perfume, scarf or a bag.
I am grateful that H can put items aside for those of us who do not live close to a store. I was looking for a KDT in orange in xs and my local H promided to put one aside for me if they recieved one and after a month I was lucky to get one. When I asked them to put one on hold for me it was because I was going to buy it.
When it comes to the B and K bags, it is just a fact that there are many who want one, more than H can produce. I am hoping to get one one day but I know that the waiting list is long and that there are those who have waited for a longer time than me but hopefully it will eventually it will be my turn.
I have been treated really nice at stores in Copenhagen and Stockholm and it is because of this and the excellent quality that I have purchased more and more. Everytime I go to Stockholm I go into Hermes and buys something. On my next visit I'll look for some beautiful blue/white tea cups.
I am grateful that H can put items aside for those of us who do not live close to a store. I was looking for a KDT in orange in xs and my local H promided to put one aside for me if they recieved one and after a month I was lucky to get one. When I asked them to put one on hold for me it was because I was going to buy it.
When it comes to the B and K bags, it is just a fact that there are many who want one, more than H can produce. I am hoping to get one one day but I know that the waiting list is long and that there are those who have waited for a longer time than me but hopefully it will eventually it will be my turn.
I have been treated really nice at stores in Copenhagen and Stockholm and it is because of this and the excellent quality that I have purchased more and more. Everytime I go to Stockholm I go into Hermes and buys something. On my next visit I'll look for some beautiful blue/white tea cups.
The question is, should you preclude another person who is ready to buy in favor of a person who is not sure? Is this degree of preferential treatment fair? I don't think so, and it makes me sad to think that anyone would think it is. Maybe I'm too young and naive.
I'm not sure if the statement: "If the person waiting to see it turns it down, then it's the salesperson's decision as to whom it would be offered to next." is a statement of opinion or a statement of fact, but I'm horrified to hear it. SA's have the right to inform anyone and everyone who they think may be interested in an item about an item, but I don't think they have the authority to sell it to exclusively to those people! Spread Hermes love, not war!
I think you're assuming that every Birkin that comes in is free and available to the public, and that it's the SAs who choose to "select" who they sell to. But from what I've experienced, pretty much every Birkin that arrives either was special ordered or has a wait list. So it is actually quite unfair if an SA pulls out a Birkin that has a waitlist and sells it to someone simply because they are standing in the store ready to buy. Essentially that person is jumping the line in front of everyone who has been waiting. If an item has a waitlist, the store owes it to those customers to offer the item to them first, in the correct order. I wouldn't consider that preferential treatment at all.
As for preferential treatment in general for VIP customers, it's not ALWAYS about how much you spend. It's absolutely correct that no one's money is more valuable or better than anyone else's. Loyalty and familiarity, on the other hand, goes a long way towards getting what one wants at Hermes and just about any store or place of business.
Not harsh at all, I have a pretty good sense of humor and respect your opinion even though I might not completely agree with it!
You make good points, but I'm not entirely sure we have the same scenario in mind. A Birkin probably wasn't the best item to use in my hypotheticals, since some seem to be expanding the discussion by raising points that are factual, such as a Birkin being up for grabs and not on any waitlist existing highly unlikely. I wish I had made it a Bearn wallet, so it's less stressful for the mind to imagine the scenario rationally.
If I were a new customer and I really really really REALLY loved an item which someone else had already committed to buy, I would just be patient and wait for my turn. But, if the other person wasn't even sure of buying it, then by golly, yes, I think it would be unfair if I couldn't see it or buy it. I will go home with my lovely orange Bearn, goddammit! TODAY!!!
If I were a loyal customer and was interested (key word: interested, NOT CERTAIN of buying) in the orange Bearn wallet that had just come in, of course I would be disappointed if someone else snapped it up before me before I could see it. But I wouldn't hold it against anyone. Not the SA, because it wasn't a pre-order or waitlist item for me (key words: pre-order or waitlist, SURE of buying). Not the new customer either, because maybe it was just her lucky day. I'd be disappointed at first, yes, but ultimately, I'd be okay with it since a.) I knew I wasn't entitled to the item since I didn't commit to it and that b.) it probably made someone else's day full of joy and c.) created a possibly long-lasting and rewarding relationship between my SA and a new customer. (Wait, not sure if more competition is a good thing... Hehe!)
(Hopefully, no one will be responding with "Oh but stores usually carry more than one Bearn wallet, so that can never happen." LOL!)