So it's right for them to lie abour a waiting list then? That doesn't happen just at Hermes. Happens at every high end shop, they put u on a "list" and then never call you. It actually ends up costing them business because as far as they know the person they just denied selling the item to was going to be a repeat customer or something but instead will shop at Saks or bergdorf where they are treated with respect. You can't let an SA act like they control you, and if you let them pressure you into buying something you don't want then you are their puppet, it doesnt matter how rich or poor u r, you're a fool in ny book. At least with a nike release they don't give a **** how many Nikes u have or how long u shop there. If that was the case I'd get every release with ease, and so would other nters. It's up to you as a person not to let these high end boutiques control you. You should be able to just walk into a shop, browse and buy/try on what u like. Not get on your knees, unzip the SAs pants and suck on that **** hoping for a chance to buy the product you really want. We're talking about $1000+ potentially, that's most people's rent, you should spend it on what you want, not to meet some snobs quota.
LIke I said earlier… it is, what it is. I'm just playing devil's advocate, because these high end luxury boutiques have a business to run, and these sales associates have to put food on their table.
You're right about the person on the list possibly being a future repeat customer, but chances are they're not, and that's why they never get called. If they're going to be a repeat customer, they would be buying other things besides the Birkin and building a relationship with an SA who will take care of them. There usually is an actual wait list, but all the highly coveted and limited items get snatched up first by the sales associates, and put on hold for their top clients.
If you owned a sneaker boutique, and you got a couple pairs of Air Yeezy's in from a surprise restock, would you call your top customers that have held your store down since day 1 and helped to keep your business a float? Or do you say F- your top customers and put them on the sales floor for any ol' nobody who has never spent a penny in your boutique to just walk in, buy them, and then resell them on ebay?
You're also right about not letting an SA act like they control you, but what people need to realize is they have the power to walk away. If you don't like that a store saves their highly coveted items for their top clients, walk away and shop somewhere else. However, don't think you're making a huge impact and hurting their business when you never spent any money there to begin with and only intend to buy Birkins, because they're going to sell regardless.
It may not be right, but at the end of the day, if you want a highly coveted and limited item, you're almost always going to pay a premium for it one way or another. Whether it's buying other things and becoming a VIP customer, camping in line for 7 days, or paying the markup price from a reseller.