THIS. It.is.a.handbag.
To get this angry about a bag...if one must have anger, why not turn the anger to changing something important?
Treatment in Hermes Stores
- Thread starter Fendi84NJ
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To get this angry about a bag...if one must have anger, why not turn the anger to changing something important?
Well,everyone is having the bag at the moment anyway. And to clarify, it's not always about B and K also, what I complain about is the treatment from the assistants at some shops.
Ok, here is a situation, I come from a country where there are only 2 H shops and they're in the capital city and not where I live, some island away from my island with quite limited supply. So the best way to obtain any H lovely stuff (not just B and K) is when I travel. I never ever asked for a B or K before until about a year ago because I didn't want a B or K. I bought their scarves, I bought their ceramic, I bought their watch, and other small stuffs.
My first experience with Hermes before the brand became a hyped was perfectly pleasant. It was 2007 and bought some scarves then offered a garden party bag which I liked and I bought them all. I have no previous record nor that I live in that country but everything was nice and the assistant was so different back then. Then everytime I travel I would stop by at any H shop I came across and bought some other thing but never a B or K.
Then everyone started owning the B and K and wanting the B and K ,and the treatment started to be different. Whatever training the H people gave to their new generation SAs, it's certainly working because now it seems that more people are wearing the brand or wanting the brand despite the lack of warmth I previously received.
My complain is not towards the brand, I love the brand, I don't think I'll ever walk away from the brand because they make really good stuffs, but towards those people manning their gates...
Ok, here is a situation, I come from a country where there are only 2 H shops and they're in the capital city and not where I live, some island away from my island with quite limited supply. So the best way to obtain any H lovely stuff (not just B and K) is when I travel. I never ever asked for a B or K before until about a year ago because I didn't want a B or K. I bought their scarves, I bought their ceramic, I bought their watch, and other small stuffs.
My first experience with Hermes before the brand became a hyped was perfectly pleasant. It was 2007 and bought some scarves then offered a garden party bag which I liked and I bought them all. I have no previous record nor that I live in that country but everything was nice and the assistant was so different back then. Then everytime I travel I would stop by at any H shop I came across and bought some other thing but never a B or K.
Then everyone started owning the B and K and wanting the B and K ,and the treatment started to be different. Whatever training the H people gave to their new generation SAs, it's certainly working because now it seems that more people are wearing the brand or wanting the brand despite the lack of warmth I previously received.
My complain is not towards the brand, I love the brand, I don't think I'll ever walk away from the brand because they make really good stuffs, but towards those people manning their gates...
I wish people here could possibly understand that this thread is not about being offered bags, it's about the treatment you receive in the hermes shop, where everyone is allowed to say what they have experienced.
A lot of issues are related with bags but that's a part of it, I still get offered bags, but that's not the reason that I could compromise for obtaining bags.
Yes there are lots of nice sellers and shops around the world, and I have to say you might be the lucky one to receive proper service, while some people else indeed received inappropriate treatment.
If any one had a chance to associate with superior manager of hermes, do ask about a sealed agreement that the managers need to sign when they take the place, and further once someone gets kicked out from Hermes, they could get paid to keep silence about the procedure.
I am sure such a company would never be related to discrimination or bullying, there indeed exists a lot to improve. Such as the endless blackmail situation, they do need to work even harder or more sincere to have it sorted.
I am not a hater of Hermes, I admire the great creation as much as I could not allow those people to bring shame to the crafts and the name of Hermes, neither bully us.
A lot of issues are related with bags but that's a part of it, I still get offered bags, but that's not the reason that I could compromise for obtaining bags.
Yes there are lots of nice sellers and shops around the world, and I have to say you might be the lucky one to receive proper service, while some people else indeed received inappropriate treatment.
If any one had a chance to associate with superior manager of hermes, do ask about a sealed agreement that the managers need to sign when they take the place, and further once someone gets kicked out from Hermes, they could get paid to keep silence about the procedure.
I am sure such a company would never be related to discrimination or bullying, there indeed exists a lot to improve. Such as the endless blackmail situation, they do need to work even harder or more sincere to have it sorted.
I am not a hater of Hermes, I admire the great creation as much as I could not allow those people to bring shame to the crafts and the name of Hermes, neither bully us.
I have been in many stores. Never once did I receive anything less than courteous service, never felt bullied (to use your word), pressured to buy, unhappy with the experience. I realize others do not feel the same way.
It's shopping. I don't need champagne, don't need anyone to kiss up to me, just to be polite and courteous and without fail, they have been, no matter the store or the country.
Sorry your experience has been different, but it may also come down to your expectations as well.
I have to respond. Yes, that does happen. It happened to me at Hermes on July 1st. My SA told me if I bought a watch at over 20,000 I would be guaranteed the Birkin that was sitting in the back. He had no control over giving it to me and that was the managers decision. The manager told him it would be mine if... I did not by the watch I had two of my pf friends texting me as I was going through the process. I did however spend more than that on a bracelet that I absolutely love. I did not get the bag even though my SA told me he would fight for me. I am sure I will get one in one of the colors requested. I was offered a Kelly 28 already but the Kelly doesn't work for me. I also had an email correspondence with a reseller who lives one city over from me. He too told me that is how it works. Pretty much what my SA told me. You have to buy a lot of various types of items and especially watches. This reseller has an array of every type of H product for sale many at below cost as he only purchased them to get the bags. He is willing to take a loss on those items because he is able to make a huge profit on the bags. I appreciated my SA being straightforward with me which is what I asked for. I don't like playing games. I was treated very well even though one of my pf friends was so mad that has taken her weeks to recover, lol. I don't know if pressured would be the word either. It was pretty straight forward.I admit, I am a little confused about the Madrid store issues due to translation problems. . . It seems someone from within Hermes is offering to sell bags outside Hermes? That would be not okay (the old "It fell off a truck" Birkin), but if it's a case of straight reselling--I bought this from Hermes and am flipping it--well, that would be legal. Or is an Hermes employee steering clients to a reseller?
I do understand why resellers annoy people--when an item appears a day after its launch marked up 200% it IS frustrating--but resellers exist because people buy from them, and people buy from them because this is a service people want. Clearly, these markups are something the market will bear.
And yes, I think it's pretty widely known that at least at some boutiques, sometimes, there is a tacit or explicit expectation that a customer must buy from a variety of product lines in order to be offered a bag. This may be a perversion of the Hermes ideal that its customers "embrace the brand." What Hermes would like, I think, is someone who can afford to--and who wishes to--use Hermes products from more than one of their lines, so housewares, RTW, jewelry, etc. as well as leather goods. But perhaps SAs, knowing that this process is a gradual one and also knowing that the client standing before them is a tourist who really just wants a Birkin, are condensing that concept down to, "Buy $ amount from other departments and you get your bag." Again, I don't know, but if you as a client don't have the opportunity, the patience, or the inclination to buy anything but one specific bag, I can see how this "buy in" approach might arise.
As others have said, it is always the client's right to walk away.
Your experience, her experience, his experience, they will all differ.
there is no right way, no wrong way...
Your experience is your own. I think this thread has been taken out of context - it's a space to post your own experience and treatment in a Hermes store. When people begin to argue back and forth, the forum becomes a battle of who is wrong and who is right.
We are all right in our own way.
there is no right way, no wrong way...
Your experience is your own. I think this thread has been taken out of context - it's a space to post your own experience and treatment in a Hermes store. When people begin to argue back and forth, the forum becomes a battle of who is wrong and who is right.
We are all right in our own way.
I completely agree with this! Everyone's experience will be different depending on the store/SA etc
It's one thing to come here to share your experience with H stores, it's completely different to come here to accuse some store is doing something illegal. Since we are all sharing opinions, so let us to that so what's the fuss?
To the people saying that you as the customer have the option not to buy, yes that is indeed the case. That’s the whole point of the blackmail. It creates the illusion that there is any real choice if you want a particular bag. Its same as the antitrust lawsuits that have happened before with Microsoft.
If as a customer I say:” If will purchase XYZ will you give me a bag” then of course the seller will say that’s not right.
But if the seller “suggest” that if I were to buy ABC and then there will be a bag available for me, that’s acceptable? There’s an obvious double standard when you say” the customer has a choice”
We are working with past and present Hermes employees to try and stop this and the practice of taking kickbacks from customers. In fact we spoke with Hermes HQ about this already and they did nothing. Part of the reason for this is because the commercial department of Hermes condones these practices so that they can sell the items that nobody really wants.
We admire and the respect the brand of Hermes. Actually the only reason we are posting this is not because we are anti-Hermes but rather because of the actions of managers and sellers who are damaging the brand with their corrupt ways. We have proof that employees are being essentially forced by the store managers to work in this way and it’s unethical. In the end genuine customers lose out…..
Currently the commercial department of Hermes issues internal targets for specific items in any one month. So for March it’s a specific model of watches, or horsehead paper weights. Now all stores have a target for the proportion of sales that are Birkin/Kelly, and the amount of sales that must be in “other items”. It’s around 30% Birkin Kelly and 70% other items.
So each month when you visit a store they will be pushing different items. The bags they can sell easily but in order to reach their targets of 30/70 in Birkins/other items and to sell the required amount of horsehead paperweights for that month, the sales staff are essentially forced to tie the bag sales to that of the other items. If you spend enough buying horsehead paperweights or glove holders, then it’s easy to get a bag.
It is NEVER the case that they do not have a bag. It’s just they have yet to fulfill their quote for the month in other items. This is not such an issue for resellers who can turn a profit, but it does cause problems for genuine customers. Unfortunately as it stands the managers are incentivized to do this because if they reach their targets they stand to make 20/30k Euros as a bonus at the end of the year.
If the store reach their sales targets and have bags leftover then they tend to hide them away for the next month. That is why it is common to find stores with no stock at the end of the month. Same situation at the end of the year. If they reach their target there is no incentive to sell anything(because then they would have to hit higher targets the next year) so they just hide anything worth selling.
It is the preference of stores to sell to Asian clients in particular because they can get Asian clients to buy more “other items” because Hermes is very expensive in places like China, and on top of this the Asian clients can get detax. Actually 80% of crocodile bags go to Chinese customers because that way they can sell more items that nobody else will buy. The store will sell the bags that are not popular with Asian resellers to the local clients, but first pick goes to the reseller in order to balance their sales targets.
As such it is easy to get a Birkin 35 Orange because nobody in Asia wants this size or color. On the other end of the spectrum, if you are a local you really don’t stand a chance buying a Birkin 30 Crocodile Black in Gold hardware or a Himalaya. These bags are for resellers. All sellers know this is happening. So if anyone thinks there is’nt a problem here then I am surprised.
If as a customer I say:” If will purchase XYZ will you give me a bag” then of course the seller will say that’s not right.
But if the seller “suggest” that if I were to buy ABC and then there will be a bag available for me, that’s acceptable? There’s an obvious double standard when you say” the customer has a choice”
We are working with past and present Hermes employees to try and stop this and the practice of taking kickbacks from customers. In fact we spoke with Hermes HQ about this already and they did nothing. Part of the reason for this is because the commercial department of Hermes condones these practices so that they can sell the items that nobody really wants.
We admire and the respect the brand of Hermes. Actually the only reason we are posting this is not because we are anti-Hermes but rather because of the actions of managers and sellers who are damaging the brand with their corrupt ways. We have proof that employees are being essentially forced by the store managers to work in this way and it’s unethical. In the end genuine customers lose out…..
Currently the commercial department of Hermes issues internal targets for specific items in any one month. So for March it’s a specific model of watches, or horsehead paper weights. Now all stores have a target for the proportion of sales that are Birkin/Kelly, and the amount of sales that must be in “other items”. It’s around 30% Birkin Kelly and 70% other items.
So each month when you visit a store they will be pushing different items. The bags they can sell easily but in order to reach their targets of 30/70 in Birkins/other items and to sell the required amount of horsehead paperweights for that month, the sales staff are essentially forced to tie the bag sales to that of the other items. If you spend enough buying horsehead paperweights or glove holders, then it’s easy to get a bag.
It is NEVER the case that they do not have a bag. It’s just they have yet to fulfill their quote for the month in other items. This is not such an issue for resellers who can turn a profit, but it does cause problems for genuine customers. Unfortunately as it stands the managers are incentivized to do this because if they reach their targets they stand to make 20/30k Euros as a bonus at the end of the year.
If the store reach their sales targets and have bags leftover then they tend to hide them away for the next month. That is why it is common to find stores with no stock at the end of the month. Same situation at the end of the year. If they reach their target there is no incentive to sell anything(because then they would have to hit higher targets the next year) so they just hide anything worth selling.
It is the preference of stores to sell to Asian clients in particular because they can get Asian clients to buy more “other items” because Hermes is very expensive in places like China, and on top of this the Asian clients can get detax. Actually 80% of crocodile bags go to Chinese customers because that way they can sell more items that nobody else will buy. The store will sell the bags that are not popular with Asian resellers to the local clients, but first pick goes to the reseller in order to balance their sales targets.
As such it is easy to get a Birkin 35 Orange because nobody in Asia wants this size or color. On the other end of the spectrum, if you are a local you really don’t stand a chance buying a Birkin 30 Crocodile Black in Gold hardware or a Himalaya. These bags are for resellers. All sellers know this is happening. So if anyone thinks there is’nt a problem here then I am surprised.
Who is asking?
You write an awful lot. It's quite clear you are happy with the way things are at the moment
And for your reference, I am indeed happy how I was treated by my local and various Hermes boutiques I have visited in my life.
Your post is interesting, but you must know that posting in a forum of Hermes-lovers, you are unlikely to receive unqualified support; nor is your being disrespectful to established members likely to win you friends. Asking you to clarify whom you represent ("we") is an entirely legitimate question--and a necessary one to enable an informed evaluation of the legitimacy of your accusations--and your snarky, "Who's asking?" is an odd and evasive response that undercuts the trustworthiness of your post.