Swiss star coiffeur in the exchange trap Even those who are allowed to buy something from Hermès have to wait forever
The employees of a Zurich star coiffeur want to give their boss 1,000-franc Hermès moccasins as a birthday present. Because the shoes are too small, he wants to exchange them. But that doesn't work.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- The employees of a Zurich star coiffeur wanted to buy their boss 1,000-franc Hermès moccasins for his birthday.
- While trying to buy the shoes, one of the hairdresser's employees is left unattended in the Hermès store for an impossibly long time.
- Because the shoes are too small, the star hairdresser wants to exchange them later. But the man has not reckoned with Hermès.
- He was told at the Hermès store on Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich that he could return the shoes. However, the money would then be refunded to his employee and he would then have to order and pay for the shoes again online.
The wait increases the desire, and the more time passes, the greater the craving - at least for those consumers with a slightly masochistic disposition.
People who want to store at the Hermès store on Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich should definitely allow enough time. However, enough time is no guarantee that you will actually be able to buy a product from the French luxury label.
Two aspects are very important for luxury brands: telling a credible story about the brand - and reducing the supply. "Hermès has set new standards in terms of scarcity," says luxury expert Markus Kramer in an interview with blue News.
Different rules apply when shopping in luxury boutiques
As I said, different rules apply when shopping in luxury boutiques. Swiss celebrity chef André Jaeger found this out last week.
Jaeger wanted to buy a 1000-franc crockery set as a gift for a couple of friends. Things turned out differently than expected. The 77-year-old was treated so badly in the Hermès store on Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich that he left the store without the crockery.
"Pride goeth before a fall. Wanted to buy a present for friends at Hermès today. But, oh dear, unfortunately it's not that easy," André Jaeger vented on social media and blue News afterwards.
Certain people are punished with contempt
A Zurich star coiffeur had better luck trying to buy something in the Hermès store. Nevertheless, he too will no longer be shopping at the French luxury label in future.
And this is how it happened: The hairdresser's employees wanted to give their boss 1,000-franc calfskin Hermès moccasins as a birthday present. So one of the employees went to Hermès one morning.
After the man was initially refused entry to the store for a long time, he was ignored for another 20 minutes while other customers were served immediately.
After the man was eventually served, a sales advisor told him that he would have to order the moccasins online in advance. So the man went back home and ordered the shoe on the Hermès website.
The man was not served immediately the second time either
When the hairdresser's employee went to pick up the shoe for his boss a few days later, he was again not served immediately.
The man would have preferred to leave the Hermès store without having achieved anything - but it was a gift. At some point, a sales advisor took pity on him and he was finally given the shoe.
Stop! The story continues and now gets really complicated, no, unfriendly: at the birthday party, the employees presented the star coiffeur with the moccasins.
He was absolutely delighted with the generous gift. There was just one small problem: the shoes were too small.
"Oh, no problem," said the star coiffeur, "I'll go and exchange them." Little did the man know that he had done the math without the luxury label.
Days later, when the star coiffeur wanted to exchange his moccasins at the Hermès store on Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich, he was told that this was unfortunately not possible.
He could return the shoes, but the money would be paid back to his employee. He would then have to order the shoes again online, pay for them and then come to the store to collect them. Why keep it simple when you can make it complicated?
Star coiffeur: "That was my last visit to Hermès"
Well, the star coiffeur really wanted the shoes, so he did as he was told. A short time later, he picked up the moccasins from the Hermès store on Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich.
When the sales advisor handed him the shoes, the man smiled and said: "That was my last visit to Hermès."
Waiting increases desire, and the more time passes, the greater the craving - at least for those consumers who are slightly masochistic.
And fortunately, not everyone is.