exactly the point, they should stay away from the 10,000 market.. sometimes when you try to change the system (going HIGH END) they scare the loyal customers away. I think it's gonna be bad business if they go full blown with that market... they won't go bankrupt but in a few years they will have to recoup more than they are doing now.
they're not going to "stay" away. but i don't think that they're going to have more then 10 of them, or even 20 at most, it's pointless. believe it or not there are some people who truly love coach regardless of it's "orgin" and they want something no one else has, and they can afford to buy it, then they do.
all eight of those bags are sold after all
i met a die-hard coach fan, who is your average joe, and she brought the pyton hobo (featured instyle) at vegas and loves it.
and as for their policy it depends on the store.
with the turnlock, i've known some managers to just give the customer a new bag and some would send it off to repair. i guess i was lucky to get the manager who gives a new one because i got a brand new spankin' ali and so far, no problems.
and i've had people come into my store with coach classics from eight, ten years ago looking gorgeous, it's all about keeping it up, and so yes, i do strongly believe in their product's durability and warranty ( i knew this one manager who gave this lady a brand new daphine b/c she spilled coffee on her white one!!! )
As for scaring customers away, I think customers are in awe (coach fans) or "blah" about the higher ticketed items.
think of it this way, when designers make their line, most of it is "norm" in that you can wear it on the street but they still have to produce the out of this world pieces that catch people's attention and wows them but they wouldn't buy it unless they really loved it -- same with these exotic bags, it gives Coach that "umph" and we're not expecting everyone to buy it, just to put Coach on a more...i guess you could say, broader scale.
btw, I only work there part-time because my manager is terrific, I love the fact that the only people i sell to are ones that love the brand (i leave those who want to browse browse) and the fact that while we're "limited" to buy a certain amount of bags (to me i don't care b/c I could never afford to buy all those bags for myself, 8 is just fine) having had sara lee as a former owner still has it's perk...mainly a monthly bonus and a yearly one too.
Thanks for the side comment it's always nice beating cancer. although it's never cured.