Well-said! H must figure out a way to allocate B/K when for every one manufactured, there are hundreds or even more demands for it. To be absolutely fair, they could draw lots to decide who could get the B/K. But awarding a B/K to loyal customers makes more business sense. I myself is a case in point. In the process of acquiring my first B, I learnt more about H products. I am now buying rather regularly from them, though I do not wish to acquire a B/K at the moment.
Treatment in Hermes Stores
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"Those who have the gold, make the rules." Its the way the world works. If you have something that is desirable, the market determines what it goes for. Although why buy an item that is currently available in stores?
Resellers are not doing anything illegal. It might be immoral to you but we can't go around demanding businesses are operated under what we think the standards should be.
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!)
Heya dear. Though I understood your point but that doesn't change my pov cause the point is still the same. You should not sell an item that you already promised to hold for someone else.
Why should I be happy that someone else is buying the item that I might want to buy? If I've made the effort to go to the H store where my SA is holding an item for me (and it can be absolutely anything, bag or scarf, etc) and had the confirmation that the SA is reserving it for me, I would be absolutely angry if the SA just said that it was sold to someone else. I will exactly be the same way, if for example I've reserved the last piece they have of an air-tight plastic container from my local supermarket and when I get there, they say they've sold it. For sure I'd want to talk to the Manager.
In Hermes case the point is this, IF an SA is reserving something for anyone, it means it's something that is quite sought after by most people. Anything else, will be on the display case free for anyone to purchase them. That's Hermes. One of my poison in life.
Of course that's different--you can't mess with air-tight plastic containers. If my local store had sold the last one to someone other than me when I had called them to explicitly say that I was coming to purchase it, I would unleash the passion and fury of a thousand suns upon them and may God have mercy on their souls.
If you are so concerned about the service received in the stores, it's a contradiction to insist that a walk in deserves to buy a sought after item before someone on a wait list.
You seem to be equating intent to buy with an offer made to hold an item. The store is not holding an item contingent on intent to buy, so therefore, it is pointless to factor it in. They are doing it as a courtesy to the customer. If intent to buy was a key issue, Hermes would insist on deposits to hold items in the store. Or they would say if the item is in the store when you get there, it's yours if you want it.
^I agree with Mistikat. This is how Hermes works. As a loyal customer, being able to put items on hold until I can get to the store to see them makes shopping with Hermes easier. My SA, understands that a lot of times you need to see an item before being ale to decide to purchase. I probably end up buying the item on hold 95% of the time, so that may factor into my SAs decision to put things on hold for me.
Agree here.. this is how it works.. if one doesn't like their policies
they don't have to shop to there..
It's business... & Hermes does business to their liking & guess what
it works! It's not about being fair or unfair..
I'm not sure I follow what you're trying to say, but my opinion is, unless I make it clear that I'm buying it, I'm not entitled to it and anyone else can buy it. Stores and SA's regardless of the brand can obviously do what they deem proper according to their own policies, regardless of what I think is fair.
I don't think anyone is going to agree with you on this. If I have an item on hold, and the SA doesn't say I have to come in today to get it, it is on hold until I get there. And not available for you to buy. Makes no sense at all.
I think we are disagreeing on the definition of "hold." What you are describing, BostonGirl, is more like a notification. "I have X in stock but lots of people have expressed interest, so if you want it, you need to be here asap." But this is not a "hold." Asking Hermes (or any retailer) to "hold" an item means, "I want to have a chance to decide whether I want to buy it or not, and during that decision time there is no risk to me of losing out." It does not mean, "I'm coming in to buy it." You certainly get to think it should mean that, but it doesn't. Thus a held item is NOT AVAILABLE for anyone else until the holdee (if you will) makes her decision, REGARDLESS of whether that decision is ultimately yes or no. The scenario of "I might want it but I might not, so if somebody else wants it, it's fair game" does, in fact, exist. I have said some version of this to my SA more than once, but this is not a "hold." This is, in effect, a crapshoot. 
I think I worded my response poorly as people think I'm angry, which I'm not. I was just sharing my opinion in something people were already talking about. I was also not calling hermes crap, I know their things are lovely and well crafted. When I referred to "buying crap I don't want" I meant it in the sense of buying things I don't want, crap=stuff, not quality. As far as it being ugly, that's in the eye of the beholder. Their scarves and such aren't my taste, I like more classic simple neutral tones. I understand though while I don't find it appealing, many others do. There's nothing wrong with that, I wasn't trying to put anyone down. As for the chanel bag, yes, I would appreciate a call from my SA letting me know a bag I'm interested in has come in. However, after that call it is my responsibility to get myself to the store to look at it. If I 100% know I want it then I will buy it over the phone or tell them to hold it for me for purchase. I do not think it would be fair though for them to lie to a walk in customer and tell them they don't have one if I'm not 100% committed to purchasing the item. To me it should be " you snooze you lose". I understand 100% that this is NOT how things work. People seem to keep reiderating that to me like somehow I don't understand. I at no point said I don't get that, I've said numerous times actually that I do understand that's not the game. However, that does not change my opinion on how I wish/think things should work. Kind of like how I KNOW the sky is blue and will always be blue, but that doesn't mean I can't think it would be awesome if it were pink.
I think we are disagreeing on the definition of "hold." What you are describing, BostonGirl, is more like a notification. "I have X in stock but lots of people have expressed interest, so if you want it, you need to be here asap." But this is not a "hold." Asking Hermes (or any retailer) to "hold" an item means, "I want to have a chance to decide whether I want to buy it or not, and during that decision time there is no risk to me of losing out." It does not mean, "I'm coming in to buy it." You certainly get to think it should mean that, but it doesn't. Thus a held item is NOT AVAILABLE for anyone else until the holdee (if you will) makes her decision, REGARDLESS of whether that decision is ultimately yes or no. The scenario of "I might want it but I might not, so if somebody else wants it, it's fair game" does, in fact, exist. I have said some version of this to my SA more than once, but this is not a "hold." This is, in effect, a crapshoot.
This. "hold" means giving a "first refusal" of an highly desired item. It's not a "charge and send"!
