French luxury goods company Hermes is again in the spotlight for its controversial sales practices. Hermes has built a reputation for being highly exclusive — one cannot simply walk into a store and purchase one of the brand’s signature bags, even if one has the obscene amounts of money that they retail for.
In fact, the Birkins and the Kellys don’t even go up on display at Hermes boutiques — they are released sparingly by sales associates to customers based on their purchase history, loyalty, spending on other products and whether they have the potential to become full-fledged Hermes clients.
And if all this was not enough, a recent Glitz investigation has revealed that Hermes sales associates go to the extent of Googling their clients’ home addresses to determine whether they are worthy enough for a ‘quota’ bag like a Birkin or a Kelly.
How Hermes sells quota bags
A quota bag is essentially a highly limited luxury item that a brand controls to maintain exclusivity. In the context of Hermes, Birkin and Kelly bags are the classic examples.
Birkin and Kelly bags are rarely shown in stores. You can’t just walk in and buy one. To even request a bag, you need a rare leather appointment. These are limited, often allocated via lottery or curated by store managers. (Also read: Hermes sued in antitrust class action over Birkin bag sales)
Hermes ‘stalks’ clients
{{/usCountry}}Birkin and Kelly bags are rarely shown in stores. You can’t just walk in and buy one. To even request a bag, you need a rare leather appointment. These are limited, often allocated via lottery or curated by store managers. (Also read: Hermes sued in antitrust class action over Birkin bag sales)
Hermes ‘stalks’ clients
{{/usCountry}}Hermes sales associates are selling bags based on more than just loyalty and purchase history. According to the Glitz investigation, Hermes employees have taken to Googling clients’ home addresses to determine if they are well-heeled enough to own a quota bag.
“They're also scrutinizing clients' social media channels and the type of content that they post,” said journalist Louis Pisano in an Instagram video.
Hermes tracks the social media accounts of clients to see if they are reselling a bag. “Resale monitoring continues after purchase. If a bag reappears online, both the client and the associate can be blacklisted,” Pisano added.
What are the red flags in a client?
So what red flags is Hermes looking for? Well, clients who stockpile non-quota bags, appear opportunistic or shop across different boutiques are likely to be classified as ‘red flags’.
On the other hand, those who demonstrate loyalty to one boutique and spend across categories are likely to be looked upon more favourably.
According to sources, Hermes sales associates even judge potential clients based on their ‘taste’. For example, a person wearing Audemars Piguet or a Richard Mille watch might be considered better than one wearing a flashy Rolex.