Treatment in Hermes Stores

[mrf976]

Hi everyone, I am very new to Hermes and have some questions:
Do SAs treat their customers differently? Should I feel upset if I am not treated the same way as other customers?

Someone I know went to our local Hermes store today (with no purchase history) and was assigned my SA. She bought a cashmere scarf and then asked for a picotin 18. The SA brought her to a room, offered her champagne, orange juice, etc. Eventually, she turned down the picotin offer because it wasn't in the color she wanted. The SA also gave her perfume samples, though she only bought the scarf in the end.

I was a little upset hearing the story... I always thought that I had a good relationship with my SA. However, he had never brought me to a private room to see the bags or offered me any drinks besides water. He did once give me some perfume samples when I was in the store picking up a piece of fine jewelry.

I started working with this SA three months ago and visit the store quite frequently. So far I have gotten scarfs, shoes, fine jewelry, and some SLGs from him (a total of ~16,000 Euro/$19,000). I absolutely love these pieces, but I also wanted to get my dream bag (a kelly!). He hasn't offered me a quota bag yet. Last time I asked and put down a wish for a k28 retourne in neutral, which he said would take about a year to come across. (FYI I am in a major city in Europe.)

I know this might sound a little stupid, but now I am wondering if I received different treatments because my SA actually doesn't like me that much. Is it common for SAs to treat their customers differently? Is this difference in treatments a sign that I would probably not get my dream bag from him? Should I stop working with him and find a new store/SA?

Thanks!

 

[_kiki119_]

Hi everyone, I am very new to Hermes and have some questions:
Do SAs treat their customers differently? Should I feel upset if I am not treated the same way as other customers?

Someone I know went to our local Hermes store today (with no purchase history) and was assigned my SA. She bought a cashmere scarf and then asked for a picotin 18. The SA brought her to a room, offered her champagne, orange juice, etc. Eventually, she turned down the picotin offer because it wasn't in the color she wanted. The SA also gave her perfume samples, though she only bought the scarf in the end.

I was a little upset hearing the story... I always thought that I had a good relationship with my SA. However, he had never brought me to a private room to see the bags or offered me any drinks besides water. He did once give me some perfume samples when I was in the store picking up a piece of fine jewelry.

I started working with this SA three months ago and visit the store quite frequently. So far I have gotten scarfs, shoes, fine jewelry, and some SLGs from him (a total of ~16,000 Euro/$19,000). I absolutely love these pieces, but I also wanted to get my dream bag (a kelly!). He hasn't offered me a quota bag yet. Last time I asked and put down a wish for a k28 retourne in neutral, which he said would take about a year to come across. (FYI I am in a major city in Europe.)

I know this might sound a little stupid, but now I am wondering if I received different treatments because my SA actually doesn't like me that much. Is it common for SAs to treat their customers differently? Is this difference in treatments a sign that I would probably not get my dream bag from him? Should I stop working with him and find a new store/SA?

Thanks!

If u didn’t find out your SA offered private room and drinks treatment, do u feel happy with ur relationship with ur SA?

i personally do not care about those things as long as my SA respect me as a client and able to find things i look for

 

[frenchcitygirl]

Hi everyone, I am very new to Hermes and have some questions:
Do SAs treat their customers differently? Should I feel upset if I am not treated the same way as other customers?

Someone I know went to our local Hermes store today (with no purchase history) and was assigned my SA. She bought a cashmere scarf and then asked for a picotin 18. The SA brought her to a room, offered her champagne, orange juice, etc. Eventually, she turned down the picotin offer because it wasn't in the color she wanted. The SA also gave her perfume samples, though she only bought the scarf in the end.

I was a little upset hearing the story... I always thought that I had a good relationship with my SA. However, he had never brought me to a private room to see the bags or offered me any drinks besides water. He did once give me some perfume samples when I was in the store picking up a piece of fine jewelry.

I started working with this SA three months ago and visit the store quite frequently. So far I have gotten scarfs, shoes, fine jewelry, and some SLGs from him (a total of ~16,000 Euro/$19,000). I absolutely love these pieces, but I also wanted to get my dream bag (a kelly!). He hasn't offered me a quota bag yet. Last time I asked and put down a wish for a k28 retourne in neutral, which he said would take about a year to come across. (FYI I am in a major city in Europe.)

I know this might sound a little stupid, but now I am wondering if I received different treatments because my SA actually doesn't like me that much. Is it common for SAs to treat their customers differently? Is this difference in treatments a sign that I would probably not get my dream bag from him? Should I stop working with him and find a new store/SA?

Thanks!

If you're spending €16k per quarter and told that it will take a year to get your first quota bag, that's a €64k pre-spend i.e. 8x ratio for a Kelly (assuming it's a Kelly 25 you're after). I'd change SA over this, not the lack of champagne...

 

[mrf976]

If u didn’t find out your SA offered private room and drinks treatment, do u feel happy with ur relationship with ur SA?

i personally do not care about those things as long as my SA respect me as a client and able to find things i look for

Thanks for the reply! My SA has always been very polite to me in person and usually responds to my messages in a day or two. I've mentioned to him that I wanted a few pieces (which are currently not available in the store). He said he'd keep that in mind, but hasn't notified me that anything arrived. (It has also only been three months since I started shopping with him, so maybe these pieces really aren't restocked yet?)

If you're spending €16k per quarter and told that it will take a year to get your first quota bag, that's a €64k pre-spend i.e. 8x ratio for a Kelly (assuming it's a Kelly 25 you're after). I'd change SA over this, not the lack of champagne...

Thanks for pointing that out! I'm after a kelly 28 in neutrals. Still, 8x ratio sounds insane...

I've heard about the 1:1 ratio of pre-spend. That's why I waited until I've reached that "threshold" to ask about the quota bags... However, I was wondering if it's possible that this particular boutique is not operating based on spend, but rather on the basis of a waitlist? What my SA told me was something like, these bags are highly sought after, and there were many people waiting in front of me; I would have to wait for a year, but it might happen sooner than that.

As much as I would love to have a kelly, I don't think I would keep shopping at Hermes just for the sake of getting one. Now I am waiting to hear from my SA about items that I wishlished and the bag. If it doesn't happen by Christmas, I would definitely change SA or simply stop shopping at Hermes.

 

[maxroxxherhandbags]

Thanks for the reply! My SA has always been very polite to me in person and usually responds to my messages in a day or two. I've mentioned to him that I wanted a few pieces (which are currently not available in the store). He said he'd keep that in mind, but hasn't notified me that anything arrived. (It has also only been three months since I started shopping with him, so maybe these pieces really aren't restocked yet?)



Thanks for pointing that out! I'm after a kelly 28 in neutrals. Still, 8x ratio sounds insane...

I've heard about the 1:1 ratio of pre-spend. That's why I waited until I've reached that "threshold" to ask about the quota bags... However, I was wondering if it's possible that this particular boutique is not operating based on spend, but rather on the basis of a waitlist? What my SA told me was something like, these bags are highly sought after, and there were many people waiting in front of me; I would have to wait for a year, but it might happen sooner than that.

As much as I would love to have a kelly, I don't think I would keep shopping at Hermes just for the sake of getting one. Now I am waiting to hear from my SA about items that I wishlished and the bag. If it doesn't happen by Christmas, I would definitely change SA or simply stop shopping at Hermes.

If you are are only shopping at Hermes to get a Kelly28 my advice would be to stop shopping for a few months then pop in buy something you actually want and ask again about your wishlist bag.
Personally I think its a little bit pointless to just shop and shop and shop spending 8X the cost of the bag just to get a bag when you can buy a little used one on the pre-loved market through reputable sellers.
I make this suggestion because you mention you may 'simply stop shopping at Hermes'.
It sounds like you aren't enjoying your shopping experience and the comment i have quoted makes me think that you dont love the brand or your purchases but are just buying to get an offer.

 

[mrf976]

If you are are only shopping at Hermes to get a Kelly28 my advice would be to stop shopping for a few months then pop in buy something you actually want and ask again about your wishlist bag.
Personally I think its a little bit pointless to just shop and shop and shop spending 8X the cost of the bag just to get a bag when you can buy a little used one on the pre-loved market through reputable sellers.
I make this suggestion because you mention you may 'simply stop shopping at Hermes'.
It sounds like you aren't enjoying your shopping experience and the comment i have quoted makes me think that you dont love the brand or your purchases but are just buying to get an offer.

Thanks for the advice! Definitely appreciate it.

I agree that it's pointless to spend that much just to get a bag. So far I am happy with everything I got from hermes. That said, I didn't just buy them to get a bag offer, sorry for the confusion. What I meant was I also wanted a kelly 28 on top of everything else. If my SA or the store pushes me to make further purchases just to get the bag, I would 'simply stop shopping at Hermes'. Because if after all the pre-spend, I still can not get the bag I asked for, then perhaps hermes or the system they operate on just does not work for me. It shouldn't be impossible to find alternatives to hermes from other designer brands anyway.

I will look into the pre-loved market if the store experience ends up disastrous and if I really wanted a bag in the future. At the moment I don't 'need' the bag so badly to be willing to pay for the premium. But I will definitely look into that in the future, if need be.

Thanks again for your post

 

[mrf976]

I think it becomes really easy to confuse waiting for a specific AND popular bag with "being pushed to buy more to get the bag." It sounds to me like your SA was just being honest that you're asking for a popular specification which many people are already waiting for and setting your expectations appropriately so that you don't end up hugely disappointed if you expected one right away. Your SA didn't delve into the specifics of their spend or relationship with the store, so the light conclusions you're jumping to around offers being "based on spend" or "on the basis of a waitlist" are stories you're telling yourself in your head. Many of the customers waiting for this specific bag may very-well have done any of the combination of: (1) spent more than you, (2) been customers longer than you, (3) asked before you, (4) demonstrated their love of the brand more than you, etc. Getting to an 8x ratio is likely NOT required to get this bag, but a customer may have spent 8x on other items in the time they've been waiting, if that makes sense. It actually sounds promising that they're giving you any kind of timeline at all, like you're already eligible after a few other customers receive theirs, truthfully.

Thanks for the detailed response and that totally makes sense!

 

[leechiyong]

I think it becomes really easy to confuse waiting for a specific AND popular bag with "being pushed to buy more to get the bag." It sounds to me like your SA was just being honest that you're asking for a popular specification which many people are already waiting for and setting your expectations appropriately so that you don't end up hugely disappointed if you expected one right away. Your SA didn't delve into the specifics of their spend or relationship with the store, so the light conclusions you're jumping to around offers being "based on spend" or "on the basis of a waitlist" are stories you're telling yourself in your head. Many of the customers waiting for this specific bag may very-well have done any of the combination of: (1) spent more than you, (2) been customers longer than you, (3) asked before you, (4) demonstrated their love of the brand more than you, etc. Getting to an 8x ratio is likely NOT required to get this bag, but a customer may have spent 8x on other items in the time they've been waiting, if that makes sense. It actually sounds promising that they're giving you any kind of timeline at all, like you're already eligible after a few other customers receive theirs, truthfully.

I wish this could be stickied everywhere.

 

[880]

I think it becomes really easy to confuse waiting for a specific AND popular bag with "being pushed to buy more to get the bag." It sounds to me like your SA was just being honest that you're asking for a popular specification which many people are already waiting for and setting your expectations appropriately so that you don't end up hugely disappointed if you expected one right away. Your SA didn't delve into the specifics of their spend or relationship with the store, so the light conclusions you're jumping to around offers being "based on spend" or "on the basis of a waitlist" are stories you're telling yourself in your head. Many of the customers waiting for this specific bag may very-well have done any of the combination of: (1) spent more than you, (2) been customers longer than you, (3) asked before you, (4) demonstrated their love of the brand more than you, etc. Getting to an 8x ratio is likely NOT required to get this bag, but a customer may have spent 8x on other items in the time they've been waiting, if that makes sense. It actually sounds promising that they're giving you any kind of timeline at all, like you're already eligible after a few other customers receive theirs, truthfully.

Love this! Agree with @leechiyong above re stickied post

 

[880]

Hi everyone, I am very new to Hermes and have some questions:
Do SAs treat their customers differently? Should I feel upset if I am not treated the same way as other customers?

Someone I know went to our local Hermes store today (with no purchase history) and was assigned my SA. She bought a cashmere scarf and then asked for a picotin 18. The SA brought her to a room, offered her champagne, orange juice, etc. Eventually, she turned down the picotin offer because it wasn't in the color she wanted. The SA also gave her perfume samples, though she only bought the scarf in the end.

I was a little upset hearing the story... I always thought that I had a good relationship with my SA. However, he had never brought me to a private room to see the bags or offered me any drinks besides water. He did once give me some perfume samples when I was in the store picking up a piece of fine jewelry.

I started working with this SA three months ago and visit the store quite frequently. So far I have gotten scarfs, shoes, fine jewelry, and some SLGs from him (a total of ~16,000 Euro/$19,000). I absolutely love these pieces, but I also wanted to get my dream bag (a kelly!). He hasn't offered me a quota bag yet. Last time I asked and put down a wish for a k28 retourne in neutral, which he said would take about a year to come across. (FYI I am in a major city in Europe.)

I know this might sound a little stupid, but now I am wondering if I received different treatments because my SA actually doesn't like me that much. Is it common for SAs to treat their customers differently? Is this difference in treatments a sign that I would probably not get my dream bag from him? Should I stop working with him and find a new store/SA?

Thanks!

First, don’t buy anything that you wouldn’t buy without the worry of prespend. The client is actually not supposed to worry about that. ITA with @duggi84 that you’ve already met that hurdle.

Re the differing treatment, I don’t think it’s a function of whether your SA likes you. In some stores, including mine, SAs are required to use a private room for bags. I think you wrote above that your SA is already looking for the specific neutral kelly you want and given you a timeframe, hence no need for the room yet

My SA who likes me a lot, thinks the room is more to keep other customers from saying can I have that bag and pointing to the one in front of you. (The private room off the bag floor is kind of grim and sad like an interrogation chamber — noth8ng like VCA— but perhaps I’ve never seen the lux VIP private room replete with dancing girls and frescoed walls lol While the picotin 18 is not a quota bag, it can be hard to get. Another SA could be speaking to another client on the floor with respect to that picotin, and thus the need for privacy too. Your friend may have been offered that one, bc it was your SAs turn to sell it, who knows.

Re champagne, I tend to think it’s whatever the back room has readily and easily available . If a bottle has already been opened, sure the boutique could remind the SAs to offer. It could also be the boutique has a habit of equating room purchase with champagne. Management could have also reminded SAs to offer champagne etc for clients in those rooms. Could lack of champagne also be bc you and your SA meet in the am; or are focused on chatting or at business at hand, like bag colors? Champagne could be a tool used to break the ice if the flow is stilted. Finally, the SA could have been extra nice if she mentioned that she was your friend, and it turned out that you would both be clients.

Just focus on your own relationship with your SA.

 

[Joanne12961]

Hi guys - wanted to get your opinion on my recent experience with my SA and what should I do next -

I started working with my current SA in May. She’s in a nearby city, and I visited her boutique once at the beginning and purchased a diamond bracelet. Since then, all my orders were via text/phone order, and I bought a few RTW, and a diamond necklace. I noticed that she response was usually very slow - a few days to week; unless my inquiry is about purchasing a piece of jewelry, then it would take her minutes to respond and she was pushy to get me to buy it.

This month, we started discussing a quota bag. This is when she became almost non-communicative. She would promise to call but never did; only respond to my text after several follow ups. I have always trying to be respectful and non-pushy, and seek her opinion on when I should reach out so I don’t keep bothering her. After all, getting a bag is not the only reason why I buy Hermes; I genuinely like love their products and want to maintain a long-term relationship with my SA.

When I finally got ahold of her, she said my request was approved but we need to wait for the right color and size, and that they are expected to receive a shipment in the next weeks and If I don’t hear from her in a week I should give her a call. As expected I didn’t hear from her so I gave her a call; she did not pick up. I later followed up with a text message and it showed that she read it but never responded. I gave her another call and a text the next day, and again they were gone unanswered. So it feels like she is going to just ignore me from this point on.

so what are my options at this point?

 

[Tykhe]

Hi guys - wanted to get your opinion on my recent experience with my SA and what should I do next -

I started working with my current SA in May. She’s in a nearby city, and I visited her boutique once at the beginning and purchased a diamond bracelet. Since then, all my orders were via text/phone order, and I bought a few RTW, and a diamond necklace. I noticed that she response was usually very slow - a few days to week; unless my inquiry is about purchasing a piece of jewelry, then it would take her minutes to respond and she was pushy to get me to buy it.

This month, we started discussing a quota bag. This is when she became almost non-communicative. She would promise to call but never did; only respond to my text after several follow ups. I have always trying to be respectful and non-pushy, and seek her opinion on when I should reach out so I don’t keep bothering her. After all, getting a bag is not the only reason why I buy Hermes; I genuinely like love their products and want to maintain a long-term relationship with my SA.

When I finally got ahold of her, she said my request was approved but we need to wait for the right color and size, and that they are expected to receive a shipment in the next weeks and If I don’t hear from her in a week I should give her a call. As expected I didn’t hear from her so I gave her a call; she did not pick up. I later followed up with a text message and it showed that she read it but never responded. I gave her another call and a text the next day, and again they were gone unanswered. So it feels like she is going to just ignore me from this point on.

so what are my options at this point?

Hi guys - wanted to get your opinion on my recent experience with my SA and what should I do next -

I started working with my current SA in May. She’s in a nearby city, and I visited her boutique once at the beginning and purchased a diamond bracelet. Since then, all my orders were via text/phone order, and I bought a few RTW, and a diamond necklace. I noticed that she response was usually very slow - a few days to week; unless my inquiry is about purchasing a piece of jewelry, then it would take her minutes to respond and she was pushy to get me to buy it.

This month, we started discussing a quota bag. This is when she became almost non-communicative. She would promise to call but never did; only respond to my text after several follow ups. I have always trying to be respectful and non-pushy, and seek her opinion on when I should reach out so I don’t keep bothering her. After all, getting a bag is not the only reason why I buy Hermes; I genuinely like love their products and want to maintain a long-term relationship with my SA.

When I finally got ahold of her, she said my request was approved but we need to wait for the right color and size, and that they are expected to receive a shipment in the next weeks and If I don’t hear from her in a week I should give her a call. As expected I didn’t hear from her so I gave her a call; she did not pick up. I later followed up with a text message and it showed that she read it but never responded. I gave her another call and a text the next day, and again they were gone unanswered. So it feels like she is going to just ignore me from this point on.

so what are my options at this point?

Maybe contact her about some non quota bag items and see if she responds to that? I think SAs don’t get commission on quota bags so if you make some unrelated purchases it might sweeten the deal and encourage her to get you your quota bag.

 

[_kiki119_]

Hi guys - wanted to get your opinion on my recent experience with my SA and what should I do next -

I started working with my current SA in May. She’s in a nearby city, and I visited her boutique once at the beginning and purchased a diamond bracelet. Since then, all my orders were via text/phone order, and I bought a few RTW, and a diamond necklace. I noticed that she response was usually very slow - a few days to week; unless my inquiry is about purchasing a piece of jewelry, then it would take her minutes to respond and she was pushy to get me to buy it.

This month, we started discussing a quota bag. This is when she became almost non-communicative. She would promise to call but never did; only respond to my text after several follow ups. I have always trying to be respectful and non-pushy, and seek her opinion on when I should reach out so I don’t keep bothering her. After all, getting a bag is not the only reason why I buy Hermes; I genuinely like love their products and want to maintain a long-term relationship with my SA.

When I finally got ahold of her, she said my request was approved but we need to wait for the right color and size, and that they are expected to receive a shipment in the next weeks and If I don’t hear from her in a week I should give her a call. As expected I didn’t hear from her so I gave her a call; she did not pick up. I later followed up with a text message and it showed that she read it but never responded. I gave her another call and a text the next day, and again they were gone unanswered. So it feels like she is going to just ignore me from this point on.

so what are my options at this point?

You may want to try maintain relationship thread.

With H and everything patient is key

 

[WhiteBus]

Hi guys - wanted to get your opinion on my recent experience with my SA and what should I do next -

I started working with my current SA in May. She’s in a nearby city, and I visited her boutique once at the beginning and purchased a diamond bracelet. Since then, all my orders were via text/phone order, and I bought a few RTW, and a diamond necklace. I noticed that she response was usually very slow - a few days to week; unless my inquiry is about purchasing a piece of jewelry, then it would take her minutes to respond and she was pushy to get me to buy it.

This month, we started discussing a quota bag. This is when she became almost non-communicative. She would promise to call but never did; only respond to my text after several follow ups. I have always trying to be respectful and non-pushy, and seek her opinion on when I should reach out so I don’t keep bothering her. After all, getting a bag is not the only reason why I buy Hermes; I genuinely like love their products and want to maintain a long-term relationship with my SA.

When I finally got ahold of her, she said my request was approved but we need to wait for the right color and size, and that they are expected to receive a shipment in the next weeks and If I don’t hear from her in a week I should give her a call. As expected I didn’t hear from her so I gave her a call; she did not pick up. I later followed up with a text message and it showed that she read it but never responded. I gave her another call and a text the next day, and again they were gone unanswered. So it feels like she is going to just ignore me from this point on.

so what are my options at this point?

I think you are being played

Did you buy the diamond bracelet because you thought it would put you in a good position to get a quota bag?

 

[Tykhe]

I think you are being played

Did you buy the diamond bracelet because you thought it would put you in a good position to get a quota bag?

Well it is also possible that if you asked for a very specific color and size that she is having trouble getting it for you. Can you tell us what you asked for? If it is something very competitive you may need to spend more even after being approved. I know that I asked for a sought after bag and even after I was approved I spent another 1:1 just to expedite the process. Just for record, I was very happy because they got me exactly what I wanted. But with Hermes it is always a gamble. Lol. I guess that is why it appeals to my gambling side.