WHY I STOPPED SHOPPING AT HERMES IN NYC + HERMES LAWSUIT | My *HONEST* Thoughts on Hermes Game
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- čas přidán 30. 03. 2024
- WHY I STOPPED SHOPPING AT HERMES IN NYC + HERMES LAWSUIT | My HONEST Thoughts on Hermes Game
Hi Friends, I'm back with another luxury Q&A discussing all your Hermes questions, concerns, and dilemmas. We're discussing the Hermes lawsuit that's been all the talk in the past week. Two customers recently sued Hermes claiming that they were coerced into building a purchase history before getting offered a Birkin bag. I'm sharing my thoughts on the infamous Hermes game and my experiece on why I stopped shopping at Hermes in NYC.
// Mentioned
⭐️ Birkin 40 (Blue) bit.ly/3vAaGOK
⭐️ Hac A Dos PM bit.ly/3PGfokE
⭐️ Hac a Dos GM bit.ly/3IZAWoN
⭐️ Mini Kelly Epsom bit.ly/3SVCqWN
⭐️ Kelly 25 (Special Order) bit.ly/3VDTfY2
⭐️ Kelly 25 (Gold) bit.ly/3VKvA8F
⭐️ Birkin Rock bit.ly/3VF5weV
// Watch More
MUST WATCH Before Buying Preloved Luxury ⤵️
• HERMES BIRKIN WITH NO ...
Copenhagen Luxury Shopping Vlog ⤵️
• LUXURY SHOPPING VLOG C...
The WORST Hermes Bags ⤵️
• THE WORST HERMES BAG.....
Mini Kelly vs Mini Constance ⤵️
• MINI KELLY vs MINI CON...
// Follow Me
Instagram: / theiamgps
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LTK: www.shopltk.com/explore/IAMGPS
// Channel Description
Hi, My name is G. Join me as I navigate the world of luxury fashion and attempt to build a consciously curated wardrobe that celebrates uncompromising quality, timeless style, and individuality. I upload new videos every Thursday and Sunday, that hope to demystify exclusive luxury brands, report on the latest launches, and assist in selecting the perfect luxury pieces to spend your hard-earned money on.
// Disclaimer
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Music by Blue Sirens - Milk Tea - thmatc.co/?l=E86AC97D
#hermes #hermesbirkin #hermeskelly #hermesconstance #hermesexperience #hermesstore #hermescollection #hermesjourney #hermesgame #hermeshaul #hermesminikelly #hermesbag #hermesbags #luxuryshopping
// Mentioned
⭐ Birkin 40 (Blue) bit.ly/3vAaGOK
⭐ Hac A Dos PM bit.ly/3PGfokE
⭐ Hac a Dos GM bit.ly/3IZAWoN
⭐ Mini Kelly Epsom bit.ly/3SVCqWN
⭐ Kelly 25 (Special Order) bit.ly/3VDTfY2
⭐ Kelly 25 (Gold) bit.ly/3VKvA8F
⭐ Birkin Rock bit.ly/3VF5weV
**affiliate**
what happened to you at the madison av store is exactly the reason of the lawsuit. you were coerced by the s a into buying other things in order to be offered a bag, which was what you really wanted. linked selling. crime. the fact that you liked the chair you bought after she suggested you'd buy furniture changes nothing. she doesn't even seem to have been that careful with her words. if you had a recorder, you could maybe have a lawsuit.
This!! I really think the plaintiffs have recorded the "link selling"!! I bet you.. and Hermès will be forced to do a wish list like they have in Europe! I don't understand why they won't simply do the wishlist system and be done with it!!
@piercenigel4670, I see your point 🤍
It's not actually a crime. This is a civil dispute regarding violation of antitrust, specifically the Sherman Act. No one is going to go to prison for this. But you have a point and this CZcamsr may want to look into becoming a plaintiff on this class action.
@@therealmrsdiz4544 thank you for your info. i used crime as a catch-all term. and "linked selling" has many different meanings in different countries and, in the ones where it's forbidden, there are probably many different typifications of the practice.
So sad to read this. My NYC Hermés experience began decades ago. My store was the first stand alone boutique on East 57th St. Not only did they have INCREDIBLE once a year sales, the employees were lovely. I got a Birkin there with no wait, no issues whatsoever, and no particular relationship with an SA. It's still beautiful and I'm still carrying it today. That's why I'm so sad to see how things have changed. Re: the lawsuit, Hermès should pay generous commissions to SAs when they sell Kellys and Birkins. Many SAs probably don't have the money to buy these bags. Remember, they are hourly employees surrounded by wealthy customers over whom they have a bit of power. Some SAs may abuse that power.
You must have some fabulous stories to share from back in the day 🤍
It was a far more pleasant and normal shopping experience. Prior to the 57th Street boutique, Bergdorf Goodman was the only place I can recall in NYC where you could buy Hermès. I can't remember whether they sold bags, but they had scarves and small leather goods. The bags were not nearly as well known in NYC and could be carried in relative anonymity.
Social media destroy everything
People are crazy for things they want to get now because they saw it on social média and they want to used to show it on social média. This phénomène has nothing to do with the art the vivre or the real beauty of things.
In fact, the SAs have a lot of power. It’s not very ethical nor respectful of Hermes to turn a blind eye to this practice!
My SA (since 2017) never pulled that crap with us. We were encouraged to get on a wish list and be VERY specific (she sat down with us and showed us leathers and color swatches and hardware choices), be very patient (the smaller bags have a longer list), and in the meantime explore and get to know the brand and just buy what you love. I love all the cool little things she’s shown me!🧡
But I’m curious if you are gonna get what you wish for if you just wait instead of buying things from the SA. To me that is what a wait list is for.
That indeed sounds like a wonderful experience, @KittyElzey 🤍
@andredingstertsao, I believe the reason it's called a wishlist rather than a waitlist, is because they don't want to imply that there's a systematic list which they progressively and objectively work their way through 🤍
Did you ever get a Birkin?
@@Armchair-InvestorNo. Still on the list.😆
It’s not about winning the law suit. I don’t even think they have a chance!
They just voiced what most people experience . The bags are available, brand new but triple of the price in pretty good quantities with 3 rd party retailers. . Hermes knows it and must be selling them to these sellers.
It’s a good lawsuit just to be able to voice what’s in everyone’s mind. Not that anything will come out of it!
People need to accept that the only people eligible for Birkins and Kellys are influencers and celebrities and get over it.
No bag on earth is worth the humiliation, nor the stripping of someone’s dignity….
Great point 🤍
Great video with the vast array of questions, coupled with your detailed answers.
So glad you enjoyed it 🤍
fantastic video G, and thanks for answering the question on the class action! such an interesting case, and yes there are journeys and there are journeys. i’m quite happy with what i have but i imagine if i were chasing a QB at this point, it could be quite frustrating 🙏🏻
Things have certainly changed 🤍
cooking a healthy dinner while listening to you, always fun catching up
Aww hope you had a lovely dinner 🤍
Always so therapeutic to listen to the VDOs you upload as I burn the midnight oils. I love the Birkin but just not incline on playing the Hermes game, and hence, acquired my 1996 Birkin 40 in Clemence from a preloved market. Completely agree with you that the price is relatively cheaper on a preloved market as bigger sized bags are not "in trend" in comparison to the smaller sized ones ( Im only after size 40 anyway ). Then to stamp off the seal of authenticity , I had it sent off for Hermes spa, all thanks to your insights Q&A VDO you posted a while back. After a year of waiting, finally got mine back 2 weeks ago from the spa. Apparently, it was sent back to the hands of the original artisan who crafted the bag.
It’s the same strategy at Chanel, and lux watch brands such as Patek Philippe and Rolex. These brands all hint to customers they need to buy unpopular items in order to get the hot items. So Hermes is just one of them.
What’s truly unethical is when some H SAs care only about their commission, so they over-promise and provide the illusion of hope and “trick” some customers into spending. When push comes to shove, of course no worthy bags are offered. This kind of scenario sadly happens more often than we think.
It's a phenomenon called 'future faking' in psychology 🫣
In Beverly Hills, Orange County and San Francisco too many very rich and celebrity clients it’s close to impossible to get quota bag without prespending a lot. Last time I’ve been in BH store they had pretty much empty shoes shelves, they never have anything available for walk in because celebrity clients and top clients always get everything first in line. So it’s pretty monopolistic. Also about case: court wouldn’t accept case without proper documentations. You can sue anyone for anything but it doesn’t mean court would accept it for hearing. If court did means they have proofs. Hope something change!
I also love Scandi countries! My family and I go every summer to escape the heat and crowds. The Hermes store in Stockholm is tiny, it's inside the NK department store. The Oslo Hermes store is my favorite. So far no lines when I was there last summer.
I am quite furious with Hermes! We were on holiday and went to two stores in Berlin and one in Prague and all stores told us they have NO bags. I was trying to buy a Garden Party but they claimed they had none and yet people kept coming who looked like they were buying bags. It's crazy how they limit other things now also. 😢
They might have ordered bags online and then collected in the store. I always collect my online orders from Hermes at the store due to high value.
Love ur videos! I have hac-a-dos in both GM and PM sizes and wear it with the bag on my back and the strap strung cross-body across my chest - in that configuration, it wears more like a typical backpack - strap on the front and bag on your back. It’s odd that Hermes never shows photos of models wearing it that way as it’s a very comfortable way to wear it. Agree that with the bag across the front of your body, it feels/looks cumbersome - especially the GM size. Once I figured I could wear it more like a regular backpack, I fell in love with my HAD and reach for them often.
Thank you for sharing your first-hand experience 🤍
Great video. What are your thoughts on the HAC 50? Specifically the functionality and price. Thx
Unless you're really tall and enjoy heavy duffles, I don't think it's worth the investment 🫣
I know that many influencers are dismissive of the lawsuit simply because they are afraid of being shunned by Hermes. I think all influencers need to be honest with their audiences and themselves and admit that there is a pre-spend requirement for a Birkin or kelly offer in most Hermes boutiques. There are the rare instances in which one may receive an offer without a pre-spend, but again, that is rare (that’s why it’s called a “journey”).
If influencers don’t want to be real and address the pre-spend requirement, then don’t speak about the matter or lawsuit at all.
Lastly, thank you for sharing your story about the furniture purchase at one of the NYC Hermes stores. You were bamboozled, like the plaintiffs in that lawsuit. Sorry!
agreed. it feels like gaslighting or at best, low empathy. “you deserved being snubbed bc you didn’t do it properly/it couldn’t have been that bad because I’ve never experienced it/etc.” and I can’t help but notice how they contradict themselves, so it is starting to make me question if their insight is that golden. they emphasize the importance of the SA loyalty and brand exploration journey by buying from every single category, say how dare you demand a bag before houseware stuff “that’s entitled”, but then will say they hardly bought much before their first QB offer, their SA just liked them and offered bags regularly after they got a scarf and some sandals. I’m like…. ok, which is it then. 🤦🏻♀️ in a perfect world everyone would find an SA they vibe with and stop complaining, but have they heard of how the SAs treat people on average? who are they to invalidate it with “that’s how luxury works” 🫤
Really enjoy these videos! As an antitrust lawyer, I would be very suprised if this case goes anywhere. In a nutshell Hermes would need to be in a "dominant" position in the market in order to be liable for distorting the market. Market is difficult to define - the market for luxury bags? what's luxury? What's even a bag?! Hermes kelly or birkin would not be near that kind of threshold. Although if they were found to be dominant (extremely unlikely), I think the sales records of Hermes could be enough to prove it's a requirement to buy other goods. ie. outside of Paris, what percentage of customers were able to walk in buy without purchase history. Sorry for the rant, comes with the territory!
Just one American attorney’s take but the plaintiffs don’t need a smoking gun, as the extra standard is preponderance of the evidence, not reasonable doubt like in criminal. Since everyone knows the Hermès journey is code for linked selling, and their linked selling is an open secret, they generate their “proof” through the sheer number of plaintiffs who all contribute to the data set that shows a pattern and practice. Obviously there will be no written policy or even recordings of SAs saying what yours did, but track the amounts people were spending before they got their offer and what it sells for at resale and there is a clear mathematical correlation because the market even knows how much you spent before you were deemed worthy.
@PontifexPontifex Wasn't Rolex sued for something similar in France? And fined?
@PontifexPontifex I know. I’m sure the Rolex precedent may have given them the idea.
@Pontifexs my analysis essentially mirrors what Letitia James is doing to Trump rn, so old laws being enforced in new ways - is this not why we all became lawyers?
Thank you for sharing your expertise. Fascinating 🙌
@Pontifexs Actually the majority of loyal Hermes customers are upper middle class.
Had to pick up my jaw off the floor with the Hermes “multiple homes, furnished by Hermes” story. 😮😮😮😮
Not understanding why you have to buy other useless stuff before getting a bag you want to buy??? Why not just buy a bag!
Wow that exotic mini kelly is true eye candy lol 🤩🤩🤩
It was worth the wait 🤍
I think the reason you didn’t get a croc Kelly is because you didn’t buy enough furniture. The street has it that to be offered a quota bag, you need to spend at least 1:1. By you buying that chair, it is far from 1:1 and that’s probably why you didn’t get offered one of the most coveted bag under the sun. Had you bought one of their sofa, I bet you would had been offered a croc Kelly. Personally I love their furniture and their bags are just mildly of interesting to me. If I have the means, I would buy their furniture all day long. Btw, for anyone wondering, SA don’t get any commission if you buy a quota bag from Hermes. Little bird told me they don’t even get any commission for bags like herbag. Given that’s the case, no wonder clients have to buy other stuff in order to get a quota bag. 🤷🏻♂️
Hi GPS would you consider doing a video on brands which do really great luxury basics?
At a price point under brunello and Loro piana?
Absolutely 🙌
Preloved Birkins in NYC are priced higher than new. However you aren’t having buy a lot of stuff you don’t want.
Hi G. Do Hermes SAs you know watch you? Or in general Hermes people watch you?
I was tired of the game so I quit. I was at 1:1 but didn’t get an offer and had run out of things I “wanted” to get for a bag
I want to try the Gansevoort boutique, I loathe Madison ave. They have been horrendous to me on multiple occasions. I have a bag in need or the spa and I've been refused entry twice at that store. I do all my Hermes shopping in London because they are lovely. Puglia has great food, you'll love it! This seems similaar to the Rolex lawsuit in France? It seems to me that the lawsuit is more for awareness and shaming not actually winning.
Sorry to hear you had an unpleasant experience 😞
The people who are suing are blacklisting themselves not only for Hermés but other brands too. Wouldn’t other SAs feel uncomfortable with them as clients?
Interesting point 🤍
If he doesn't shop at Madison anymore, then where does he shop? Or where does he live in Europe now?
I have been very lucky to have never been pressured but unfortunately my store doesn’t carry enough merchandise to continue the spend like I used too. I will continue to buy what I love but won’t spend for the sake of an offer.
Not to mention they haven't launched anything groundbreaking in quite a while 🫣
if they have them on camera saying that the customer need to buy a lot of things from HERMES to get a bag then they can win the case. it is against the law in the US for a store to tell you what to spend with them in other to get an item.
People willingly go on the “H journey”. I didn’t know about this when I started shopping, I just love their stuff and customer service. I was young & who wants those matronly bags!?! People feel entitled now to everything. If the SA’s personality don’t mesh with urs move on. H have soooo many beautiful things my love. 😍🍊😘😘😘Sandy
They do indeed 🤍
But why shld anyone have to buy other things in order to buy the thing they want? I get that a limited quantity might make it a longer wait to get the bag you want buy”tying” is an illegal practice.
This conversation is fascinating. I am not an Hermes player and I say this as I just find this whole approach to shopping pathetic, humiliating, even desperate. There are other beautiful , elegant, luxury brands out there. Perhaps you or some of your readers may want to consider Joseph Duclos or Colombo.Personally, I love Loro Piana leathers. I own several bags and love them ( however, I do not own or would recommend the extra bag as to me looks like just a plain beauty case). I would suggest, if anyone is interested, the YT videos from So Anesu where she eloquently speaks about luxury under the radar.
I still can’t get over how KIND and HELPFUL the Loro Piana SAs are and the contrast with the typical Hermes SA in my experience. I know everyone else has an ~amazing~ Hermes SA who gives them a bag every time they show up and lets them pay in hugs and kisses, but I’m the exception I guess lol
I would sympathise with someone denied access to clean drinking water or fresh vegetables. No sympathy for being denied bags. Thank you for the video. I cannot do the ‘journey’ Impossible for me. I would never have the patience. I would go to a safe and reliable reseller.
I think it's a great route for those who are not interested in anything else the brand has to to offer 🙌
@@IamGPS True, but it is not so much that I am not interested in Hermes items. More that the game playing would annoy me. It is one thing when they say no to a Birkin or Kelly but non availability of other pieces would annoy me so much that I would not even try.
A little turtle, lol, and 100% on the pre-spend myth. But my boutique is madison ave and i've had an amazing experience. I know it's so different for everyone, but good on you definitely don't buy what you don't want. I love my SA though, she has always listened to everything I'm interested in across categories and has made it happen, even if it was difficult. I've also been randomly offered lizard and alligator bags which I would did not accept (I could never properly care for them, I know that), but I'm also like 30 with one apartment with no Hermes furniture so idk, maybe things have changed since the pandemic and the new store opening?
Also, as a lawyer, I would be so shocked if the class action goes anywhere - you are not "pressured" to buy anything, no one forces you to shop anywhere. It doesn't make any sense. Again, even with the pre-spend myth, it's not 1:1, and like I said I'm in NYC and I don't do 1:1 for anything. If one believes it's a 1:1 ratio, then it's cheaper to do resale, so why wouldn't the plaintiffs just go that route? You don't have to shop at Hermes.
One of the CZcamsrs said that it is precisely because some customers get offers spending little and some customers don’t get even after spending lots (above 1:1). So, it’s not transparent that frustrates people.
Most people who do not choose to go to resellers is because they are concerned with authenticity.
@@ypf7717but like, for example, I’m no one special, I’m a nobody not someone who has met a checklist that my life should be easier at Hermes , it just worked out that my SA and I clicked. There’s no policy for that - I know friends from other countries who have walked into my home boutique and have walked out with quota bags. It’s the SA’s relationship to the manager to ask if it’s okay to sell the customer the bag because there is a scarcity of the products that come into each boutique (some less than others obviously)
@alycenx, thank you for sharing your experience and expertise 🤍
@ypf7717, what an interesting point 🙌
@@ypf7717 i thought i responded to this maybe something similar somewhere else - but that's the point - there is no 1:1. It's not like I am anyone special that my "prespend" last year was around 5k and I got my quota bags. I'm basically an npc in this world - like if i disappeared tomorrow the world isn't reading an article about it and how my money is being distributed to my next of kin. The only thing my SA has ever told me is that they appreciate "authenticity and kindness" over all the spending in the world before she will ask her manager about quota bags for a client, which, if we are going off of what she said, is a subjective feeling and not a policy. They don't have to sell a person anything - they are a private business, under US law because of the commerce clause they have to allow you in to do business and serve you, but they don't have to tell you what's in the back. It's their property until they decide to make the transaction. They aren't excluding people from their stores or from shopping - it's just the ratio of people who want bags in more populated boutiques (and specificities) to the actual amount of bags that boutique is allocated makes it difficult. But I've had friends go into Madison Ave and just kindly ask to buy a birkin of of what's available and they were sold one that wasn't allocated to anyone. I got my first Kelly with 2k prespend at that boutique (4 months after meeting my SA). No one is forced to buy what they don't want.
You see, I kind of see Hermes point. They want the customer to be loyal (buy their pieces) because the bags are custom made and take a while to make.
I don't know why they treated you terribly when you have shown your loyalty to the brand, GPS. The NY Hermes sounds garbage. You might have to make the Las Vegas locations or Beverly Hills locations your new home.
Except Tying is illegal. Isn’t there countless videos on YT alone all about how the Hermes game is all about tying? Let’s not pretend that it isn’t a real thing that they do and it is in fact illegal.
Can anyone connect me with an SA in San Francisco that won’t expect me to spend $1M…?
Let's hope that's not the expectation 😂
Not surprised about the exotic experience it’s well known especially for alligator that you have to be a big client, let alone alligator in a mini size. You’re asking for the best of the best whilst buying a single chair and a nightstand
it happen in middle east as well. I can understand company want to push sales in other products to be eligible to get the quota bag but the way inidividual SA handling is not correct. I have been buying hermes products for almost 10 years, i may not be a very big spender but regular buyer. SA don't see it this way as they prefer one time big time spender and thus giving them the priority on bags allocation. This is really not fair compared to those who accumulated buyings for longer duration of time. Hermes should change the spending ratio by customer per country not limited to any branches or SA and not by via individual SA only. I hope they will do more against individual SA of emotionally bullying their customers.
Perhaps a more objective system is required 🤍
I wish it were more consistent either way! I’ve been told how much you buy doesn’t matter at all, and that I’d be luckier if I just dropped by to window shop frequently and say “hi” rather than spending a large amount (to me) in very few trips, then they’d be “open” to me asking for bags. I don’t live near a boutique so the SA loyalty program is a thorn in my side for now.
would really be interested in seeing your reviews and insights on a wider variety of luxury brands. unless your subscriber base is primarily full of Hermes loyalists, too much Hermes content is making me feel like that's all this channel is about. perhaps it is? am i wrong?
I do share my thoughts on other brands, but my bread and butter is Hermes 🤍
I've heard people can get a Birkin or a Kelly with no previous record with the brand in Hermes, so I see the lawsuit as an uphill battle.
Why do men want to carry ladies handbags?
The plaintiffs in the Hermès lawsuit were not coerced. Exactly like your experience. Their SA "implied" and they were still strong along.