I shop at the 57 store and have done so for ten years. I admit it is a bit intimidating at first, but I think the SAs there are all great. My SA is my best friend. Also, once I was waiting for her to finish an appointment with a walk in and she was slowly explaining to him that a classic flap is an investment bag. Lol. Yeah my Hermès said is amazing too but I don’t think he ever had to explain that a birkin is an investment bag. I really admire the patience of my Chanel sa.
Why are SA so entitled !!!!
- Thread starter bebe_tc
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I had the exact same experience in that store and I was dressed nicely. Zero degree of helpfulness from the SAs there (2 at the time). I ended up over at Gucci and bought some stuff. SA's can cost the company a lot of money and customers with how they choose to treat you. A greeting goes a long way, but some can't even manage that. I'd never return to this store.
+1000 on 57th st (I have shopped there since 2001 (with a long hiatus when my original SA left for Fendi), and some of the staff are still there. Of course, YMMV
@ijustneedthis, there are many articles on the cosmetic empires of premier brands, such as this one:
How Chanel's beauty products propel its continued growth
Chanel stands out among its luxury peers because of its steadfast refusal to sell clothing, leather goods or jewelry online. The exception to this is its beauty and fragrance products -- and based on its recent activities, it appears that beauty is the linchpin behind such growth.
www.glossy.co
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I was at the Chanel in soho for the first time this past weekend and I almost left in tears! The male SA who was assigned to me was super unhelpful and very condescending. This was the worst experience I've ever had at chanel. He was just a super crotchety middle aged man who seems to hate the new younger generation of Chanel shoppers. I asked if they had x,y,z bags for me to look at and without skipping a beat he very condescendingly laughed and said no. Then he blamed me and others like me who spend too much time online looking at bags and its our fault all bags are constantly sold out. It seemed like he was berating me wanting a certain style of bag and that I'm out of luck unless I have good relationships with a bunch of SA but he wasn't making any good impression on me. He told me I shouldn't look online but like wtf am I supposed to just go in store and be like show me what is available and I will purchase whatever is available? He showed me a bag in a different color but sort of similar style to what I wanted but I didn't love it and he kept pushing me to buy it because it's Chanel every bag is perfect and even if I don't love it I should buy the bag because it will sell out as soon as I'm gone. I say I don't like the bag why should I buy it? I left super disappointed after maybe 10 minutes but honestly I would have left after the first 10 seconds with this man but I had already waited in line for 30 mins to get inside so I thought I should at least look around
Thank you so much for your time and effort . I have read this too - I also heard that all these haute couture and fashions shows are made to increase the awareness and desirability of the cosmetics - because the „average“ costumer will be proud to have a part of Chanel like a lipstick, perfume etc. I once heard that SAs also like to sell the special perfumes (not the regular once) and fine jewelry.+1000 on 57th st (I have shopped there since 2001 (with a long hiatus when my original SA left for Fendi), and some of the staff are still there. Of course, YMMV
@ijustneedthis, there are many articles on the cosmetic empires of premier brands, such as this one:
How Chanel's beauty products propel its continued growth
Chanel stands out among its luxury peers because of its steadfast refusal to sell clothing, leather goods or jewelry online. The exception to this is its beauty and fragrance products -- and based on its recent activities, it appears that beauty is the linchpin behind such growth.
It is too easy to dismiss them as being entitled, you need to remember they are selling items worth a lot of money to all types of people, some who can spend more than you could ever imagine in one shopping trip. It takes a lot to impress a Hermes or Chanel SA these days.
The stores are always super busy, the role of an SA is not easy when they have many clients asking for items that are often not available or easy to get hold of, I have a lot of respect for them it doesn’t look like an easy job.
The stores are always super busy, the role of an SA is not easy when they have many clients asking for items that are often not available or easy to get hold of, I have a lot of respect for them it doesn’t look like an easy job.
I always Wanted to be a Chanel or Dior SA because it looked very glamorous from the outside. Now after knowing my SA as well as I do I wouldn’t be so sure, the constant relentless pressure they are under not just in the busy boutiques but on their work phones from customers expecting hours of attention just to buy an SLG or high demand item. It is not uncommon for my SA to receive messages at 11pm from people demanding immediate responses. Labelling them as entitled is wrong, sometimes the attitude you receive reflects the attitude you give.
All of this does not excuse being outright rude and dismissive to people. Besides at the end of the day they are sales people and basic kindness should be the norm. Our feelings of being mistreated is valid and many other people have complained about the issue as well. I'm sure many people go into Chanel innocent and very nicely ask ask see certain bags and are turned off when SA's scoff at them acting like we are lesser than them. Sure the job is hard but that does not give an excuse to be rude. At my job and I'm pretty sure for lots of other peoples jobs if I was accused of being rude to our clients I would be reprimanded or possibly fired.
This should never happen; I‘m sorry this happened to you; I would never buy anything where I was made to feel unwelcome
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haha so true! Once you have served a Saudi princess with her personal retinue of security detail, it's hard to bat an eye at anybody else.
It's unfortunate that you had a subpar experience at Chanel, it's such a wonderful brand but sometimes the sales goals make certain SAs less than pleasant. My Chanel SA is such a gem, but she has told me before that some of her asian clients are treated like trash by other SAs when they go into the boutique on her off day, because they don't dress nicely or don't speak great English. She has also commented that what she's selling is not the bags, because the bags sell themselves, she's selling the service and the luxury experience, she's never pushy (she actually dissuaded me from buying a bag because I already had multiple pieces in the same color), even if you go in and don't buy anything she doesn't show any signs of dismay. I think what a lot of SAs don't realize is that instead of focusing on the short term, like whether they can make some quick sales today by cherry-picking clients, spend the time to cultivate the SA-client relationship, make the client feel appreciated and taken care of, the sales will naturally follow.
Was at the London boutique for the first time for research to get my first Chanel. I was super intimidated cos everyone else was in their Hermes or Chanel and lil ol me was dressed up but obv an amateur. True enough, when I came in, they didn't even bother assigning me to a SA, just said the bag and colourways I was looking for (19 small black/caramel) were all sold out. When I asked about the Vanity Filigree (but I didn't know it was called that at the time), he just said I was probably imagining it and ushered me out. Made me feel like crap.
Conversely, came into the Venice store literally in trainers and backpack cos I was doing a hiking trip and didn't bother packing nice clothes. The SA was the sweetest girl, took the time to show all sorts of bags, check stocks in all of Europe, and made effort to get me a reserved bag. Didn't push me to get anything. Felt extra great when I finally made a purchase thru her.
Conversely, came into the Venice store literally in trainers and backpack cos I was doing a hiking trip and didn't bother packing nice clothes. The SA was the sweetest girl, took the time to show all sorts of bags, check stocks in all of Europe, and made effort to get me a reserved bag. Didn't push me to get anything. Felt extra great when I finally made a purchase thru her.
I was looking for a Chanel SA thread to post on…..is it just me, or they bring super extra all of a sudden? I’ve been working with two (one in each spot I vacation most, and the first person hardly answers me) I was offered a bag last week from one SA, and another bag the week before that by the other SA-both top of my wishlist bags. I told them both “YES charge my card”…. Never heard back from either, no charges to my card (I know they are legitimate, I have met and purchased in store from both). But wtf?! I was so excited I was getting two dream bags and they will not answer my calls or texts now( I eventually went off and send them a long angry rant, which probably didn’t help- this was after days and days of hearing nothing). Can’t get ahold of the stores either- I am so pissed. Anyone else experiencing this “harder than usual and even more rude” SA. I’m floored really