Treatment in Hermes Stores

[Rom.roths]

Hello everyone,
I worked in Hermes as a sales person for a short period, to be more specific, as an intern.
I don't work in leather department, but more or less, we would have to answer clients about the questions concerning the bags.

Some people may think I am a fraud, as Hermes has very strict control of that, but I am just an intern and has left Hermes. And I'd just like to share something interesting or strange experience with everyone.

 

[Rom.roths]

Every intern has no right to use the cash desk, and also we are not allowed to sell bags.
If we come to the payment procedure, we shall be accompanied by a senior. And if a client wants a bag such as a Birkin bag, we ought to ask the senior and then the manager.

Something interesting is we really have a great amount of clients dropping by to ask for a Birkin bag. Most of them, as I was told, are resellers. I was more than astonished that the senior could tell some client is a reseller. I asked once, and was told the resellers always use cellphone quite often in the shop for contact their clients maybe.

And many senior sales just simply take down their name and passport number( before I left, we start to require passport copy) and the preference of the clients, go the storage room or tea room, having a short coffee and return to the clients with a no answer. Of course, not every time. It's really important to come across a nice sales person, as they will really check the storage room.

 

[Rom.roths]

Many people must be interested about how they sell the bags.
It's much more simple in my shop than those I read in the thread. Our manager is very emotional person, once you have a good reason for the bag, then it's yours.
But we have to worry about 2 things at the same time, one is the sales amount of every department and total sales too, the other is the quota of the bags we can sell every month.
It's quite hard to be a manager, dealing with all those trouble.
We want to satisfy every customer, but we really have a quota limited. I was always inspired when I see a client was shown a bag.
Every month we have a quota of Birkin bags and kelly bags, they are separate. Sometimes, our shop can sell many Birkin bags but maybe only one kelly bag in one month due to the delivery.
We have a sale target to finish every month too, and the result would be compared with the same month of last year. It's always difficult to achieve in ready to wear, jewelry, house department. That might explain why some shop using a different way to sell bags.

 

[doves75]

Thank you for sharing Rom.roths [emoji106]🏼[emoji106]🏼

 

[Precious Happy]

Wow, awesome I Intel!! Thanks so much!

 

[sonaale]

Thanks for sharing Rom.roths

 

[periogirl28]

Many people must be interested about how they sell the bags.
It's much more simple in my shop than those I read in the thread. Our manager is very emotional person, once you have a good reason for the bag, then it's yours.
But we have to worry about 2 things at the same time, one is the sales amount of every department and total sales too, the other is the quota of the bags we can sell every month.
It's quite hard to be a manager, dealing with all those trouble.
We want to satisfy every customer, but we really have a quota limited. I was always inspired when I see a client was shown a bag.
Every month we have a quota of Birkin bags and kelly bags, they are separate. Sometimes, our shop can sell many Birkin bags but maybe only one kelly bag in one month due to the delivery.
We have a sale target to finish every month too, and the result would be compared with the same month of last year. It's always difficult to achieve in ready to wear, jewelry, house department. That might explain why some shop using a different way to sell bags.

Thank you for these posts, you have basically confirmed what most of us know from our own SAs and SMs. Going for a coffee and not checking the stockroom is hilarious and sad at the same time.

 

[Camaro Chic]

It's amazing how much it varies from store to store. When I first fell in love with H back in 04, I lived nowhere near a boutique but a friend hooked me up with a wonderful SA over on the east coast. My SA didn't meet me until 3 years into our relationship but she knew how much I loved the brand and was always sending me anything she could get her hands on in terms of literature, art and goodies. I had only spent $1700 on new H-- everything else was preloved-- before I was offered my first Birkin, just a few months after first becoming acquainted with my SA. and none of it was RTW or Home (unless you count scarves). A true appreciation for the brand and the art really goes a long way and many SAs, such as the ones at the flagship, are so busy it's not always easy to form solid relationships-- and if you're just visiting and not a regular I can understand how they would want to save those really special bags for clients they've become friends with. Because I count all of my SAs, be they at LV, Hermès or elsewhere, as friends!

 

[Camaro Chic]

While Birkin's pricing stands true to its value, H rtw doesn't. Bought one love-in-the-1st-sight silk tunic long before, and I seriously believe I could have enjoyed more with that money. Their previous CD, Christophe Lemaire, is a wonderfully talented contemporary designer and actually his own label is downright everyday luxury with less esoteric silhouettes. If I have 5k$ I'd go for Chanel rtw because their metier d'art lines really reflects semi-couture artisan.

I LOVE the metiers d'art lines. You're spot on. I would buy (and have bought) Chanel MDA over Hermès' current RTW offerings.

 

[Rom.roths]

Thank you for these posts, you have basically confirmed what most of us know from our own SAs and SMs. Going for a coffee and not checking the stockroom is hilarious and sad at the same time.

Yes, but it happens. When there are hundreds people coming every day asking the same question, it seems rude to say we don't have directly without checking. And it would make clients feel much better to see as if we tried

 

[Rom.roths]

It's amazing how much it varies from store to store. When I first fell in love with H back in 04, I lived nowhere near a boutique but a friend hooked me up with a wonderful SA over on the east coast. My SA didn't meet me until 3 years into our relationship but she knew how much I loved the brand and was always sending me anything she could get her hands on in terms of literature, art and goodies. I had only spent $1700 on new H-- everything else was preloved-- before I was offered my first Birkin, just a few months after first becoming acquainted with my SA. and none of it was RTW or Home (unless you count scarves). A true appreciation for the brand and the art really goes a long way and many SAs, such as the ones at the flagship, are so busy it's not always easy to form solid relationships-- and if you're just visiting and not a regular I can understand how they would want to save those really special bags for clients they've become friends with. Because I count all of my SAs, be they at LV, Hermès or elsewhere, as friends!

In Hermes company in my country,(not sure in another country), the salesmen are not allowed to give personal contact to clients and avoid private contact. As it may end us.

 

[ochie]

Every intern has no right to use the cash desk, and also we are not allowed to sell bags.
If we come to the payment procedure, we shall be accompanied by a senior. And if a client wants a bag such as a Birkin bag, we ought to ask the senior and then the manager.

Something interesting is we really have a great amount of clients dropping by to ask for a Birkin bag. Most of them, as I was told, are resellers. I was more than astonished that the senior could tell some client is a reseller. I asked once, and was told the resellers always use cellphone quite often in the shop for contact their clients maybe.

And many senior sales just simply take down their name and passport number( before I left, we start to require passport copy) and the preference of the clients, go the storage room or tea room, having a short coffee and return to the clients with a no answer. Of course, not every time. It's really important to come across a nice sales person, as they will really check the storage room.

Thanks for the information, I have one question, if you're not an intern do you still need to ask a senior or manager if you can sell a Birkin or a kelly to your regular clients?

 

[periogirl28]

In Hermes company in my country,(not sure in another country), the salesmen are not allowed to give personal contact to clients and avoid private contact. As it may end us.

Yes I think this is true, in some countries it's absolutely fine and for others it's not. I message some of my SAs directly and for others it's via the work email or store number.

 

[Rom.roths]

Thanks for the information, I have one question, if you're not an intern do you still need to ask a senior or manager if you can sell a Birkin or a kelly to your regular clients?

There's two situation,
Every morning of the day, or at the beginning of the week, the shop manager would choose several bags(Birkin/Kelly) and tell the salesmen, these are the bags we could sell today/week. So normally we don't need to ask the manager for these bags. But actually they ask, because they don't want any trouble afterwards.

The other situation is every month or week, the shop manager pick several bags, and tell each salesman" you can sell these bags this week/month". And the salesman don't need to ask the manager before he sells, even the client doesn't purchase anything else. It varies from shop to shop that the quota they can sell every month. Normally a small shop like us we can sell 40-50 Birkin/kelly per months. But for FSH, it's totally different, I've heard that one salesman could achieve 100,000 euro sale in one day which is incredible for some small shops like us. So surely they have bigger amount for bags.

Oh, there's another situation, that only happens in big shops with different department managers. The shop manager choose some bags for every department, and the department manager can decide themselves to whom they sell. And the salesman always need to ask their department director for sell a bag as they are not allowed.

In any case above, there's always a budget we need to achieve, so we have to think how to achieve the budget with the use of limited bags, same for a department manager or for a salesman in small shops. Even for a shop manager, if a shop makes a huge sale, he can have bigger quota for bags when the podium

PS. Mini Kelly pochette/ Kelly cut pochette/ HAC are all included in these quota.
Not the Constance.



And every manager keep the stock into two parts, one for himself( the bags only could be sold by himself) and one for the shop staff. And stock for himself include exceptional pieces, exotic leather or special orders. If you enquire such a piece, the salesman have to ask the manager for that.

 

[periogirl28]

There's two situation,
Every morning of the day, or at the beginning of the week, the shop manager would choose several bags(Birkin/Kelly) and tell the salesmen, these are the bags we could sell today/week. So normally we don't need to ask the manager for these bags. But actually they ask, because they don't want any trouble afterwards.

The other situation is every month or week, the shop manager pick several bags, and tell each salesman" you can sell these bags this week/month". And the salesman don't need to ask the manager before he sells, even the client doesn't purchase anything else. It varies from shop to shop that the quota they can sell every month. Normally a small shop like us we can sell 40-50 Birkin/kelly per months. But for FSH, it's totally different, I've heard that one salesman could achieve 100,000 euro sale in one day which is incredible for some small shops like us. So surely they have bigger amount for bags.

Oh, there's another situation, that only happens in big shops with different department managers. The shop manager choose some bags for every department, and the department manager can decide themselves to whom they sell. And the salesman always need to ask their department director for sell a bag as they are not allowed.

In any case above, there's always a budget we need to achieve, so we have to think how to achieve the budget with the use of limited bags, same for a department manager or for a salesman in small shops. Even for a shop manager, if a shop makes a huge sale, he can have bigger quota for bags when the podium

PS. Mini Kelly pochette/ Kelly cut pochette/ HAC are all included in these quota.
Not the Constance.



And every manager keep the stock into two parts, one for himself( the bags only could be sold by himself) and one for the shop staff. And stock for himself include exceptional pieces, exotic leather or special orders. If you enquire such a piece, the salesman have to ask the manager for that.

Lots of useful information here, thanks again!