Quite some time ago, I shared with you guys a post all about purchasing my Hermes Mini Kelly. In that post, I shared that while I was on vacation in Paris, I just happened to go into the Hermes store, I spoke with the sales associate and within the next couple of hours I was the proud owner of an iconic handbag. Before heading to Paris, I never in a million years thought that I would be leaving France the proud owner of a Hermes item and I think that people have a hard time getting their head around that it really was that easy. However, I do recognise that it isn’t that easy for everybody. In this post, I am going to share with you all about my experience purchasing from Hermes.
How I felt before going into store.
I’m not going to lie, before heading to Hermes, I was pretty nervous. I was pretty scared that they were going to ridicule me and make me feel ridiculous for my request. I tried to remind myself that I am the one with the money, but that doesn’t matter to a brand like Hermes. They have people fighting over their items, yet they still remain as exclusive. Plus, with a few previous bad experiences with other designer brands, I was nervous. I mean, Hermes are the best of the best. If other brands can be snooty, they absolutely can!
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Do I think how I dressed made a difference.
One thing that I want to mention when it comes to my shopping experience in Hermes, is the way I was dressed. Because I was having a day out with the girls, I was done up in a nice manner. Do I think that made a difference to the level of customer service that I was offered? No. I think 10 years ago things like that made a difference, but we are in a different time now and outward appearance doesn’t dictate the amount of cash in the bank.
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How the sales associates were with me.
Straight away, I figured that it would be near on impossible to get my hands on a bag. I figured that when I went up to the counter to make my request, I would be met with a sea of eye rolls and tutting before ultimately getting rejected. However, the moment that I went up to the counter, I was met with a cheeky glint of a smile from the team behind the counter. It turns out, the handbag that I was offered was a wish that somebody had made, but then never collected. Because I had matched the specification of the handbag exactly with my request, that was why I was fortunate enough to be offered mine.
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What the purchase process was like.
I will say, once my sales associate rejoined me with the iconic orange box in their hands, it was amazing. If anything, I would say that the individual that was handling my sale was just as excited as me. When they handed me the box to open and to review the item, they were bubbling, just like I was. I guess for them it is a rarity to be able to fulfil somebodies wish. Together we had the best time and thanks to their infectious mood, it made me feel much more confident about splashing so much cash so frivolously.
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What my experience has been like in other stores.
Since that initial trip into a store where I purchased my Mini Kelly, I have frequented Hermes on a few other occasions. Naturally, it is a very fancy affair to head into the store. But one thing that I am very happy to say is that my experience has always been positive. The sales staff have never looked down their nose at me and I have ended up having a good level of friendly banter with them. If anything, I would say that visiting some of the stores in London has even been somewhat more relaxed than that initial trip to the Paris store.
As always, I hope you guys enjoyed this post and learning more about my own experience purchasing from Hermes. For me, it was an easy journey, but I know that is very different for most people that go into store. I think beyond the exclusivity of the items, I thought that the customer service that I was given was fantastic. It blew out of the water the experiences that I have had at some of the other popular fashion houses that you can find on Bond Street in London. I can remember writing a post years ago about the horrendous treatment that I was given at Chanel and for some time after, I was reluctant about spending money with designer brands. If every experience was like Hermes, it would be wonderful.