Comprehensive Guide to the NYC Hermès Sale - Here's What You Can Expect

Part I: Hermès Hosts a Private New York Sale

“Don’t forget your instrument!” I screamed out the door. My 9-year-old sheepishly turned around and grabbed his trombone. It’s Wednesday, which means 4th grade band practice. But for me, it means the first day of the Hermès Sale in New York.

After getting the kids to school, anxiety had officially taken over my body as I hurried to the train station during the morning rush.

Time check 9:05am. I plopped down in the train ready to conquer this sale.

The day before, I sent a message to my H-loving sisters and friends and asked them if they wanted anything. Here’s a list of things that I was looking for. Fingers crossed.

Time stamp:
12:40pm arrived at Penn Station

Luckily the train station exit is steps away from the Soiffer Haskin building at 317 W 33rd Street. From across the street, I saw a line of women, huddled together in the windy cold. Excited eyes looked up towards a man in a hat guarding the doors.

One eager woman from the line went up to the man, “May I have a face mask please?”

“We’ll give you one,” he grunted and went back to his death grip on the door handle.

When I found my place at the end of the line, the man asked me “Do you have a QR code and do you have a mask?”

He stepped away from the door and handed me a mask. “You don’t have to wear it now, but wear it inside.”

As I was waiting, a group of three girls were trying to get in, thinking the sale was open to the public. They slowly retreated and discussed plans to go to a bar instead. Cheers ladies.

After about a 10 minute wait, I was allowed inside. From here, you go to the right to the check-in desk.

A stairway next to the desk leads to the sale on the second floor.

The girl in front of me was having trouble checking in because she was the plus one of the registered client. But the registered client was not there. Warning: Make sure your name is listed on the appointment time or you will be denied access.

The pleasant, young woman at the desk scanned the QR code from my email and verified that my ID matched the name on the reservation. “You will need to check your coat and bag.” She gestured toward the end of the hallway, past the queue of people waiting to get upstairs.

The coat check line was short, however, the next line to get upstairs was about 15 people long.

After a five minute wait, we were all ushered upstairs to the Sale floor. Before entering, a uniformed guard said sternly to the entire group, “No videos or photos. Grab a white bag at the door for shopping.”

I was handed a large white paper shopping bag (the nondescript ones you can get at the boutique upon request) as I entered the room. Everything was organized neatly by category. Sales associates are readily available, restocking and organizing.

Along the left-hand side is a plethora of women’s shoes, starting at size 34. In the immediate center is silks and ties. Behind the silks are rows of women’s and men’s ready-to-wear. The back wall is men’s shoes up to a giant size 46. The right-hand wall is costume jewelry.

Here’s the layout to get a better picture. (Not to scale).

I spent most of my time browsing the shoes, as they were being constantly replenished. The most popular women’s shoe size, according to a SA, is 38 to 39.

The ready-to-wear has many items from just last season! All arranged neatly by size.

Everything is stamped with a “S” to indicate it came from the sale.

Those wishing to get a bag here will be disappointed. The only one available was a rust-colored canvas tote diaper bag, perched high above the shelves. It looked like it had seen many sales in its time.

After making my way through the shoes and clothes, I reached the jewelry section. There’s a small line next to the jewelry counter where you wait for an available SA. There is a 10 minute limit for browsing. There are leather bracelets, unisex styles, enamel bangles, hinged bracelets, and scarf rings. However, there were no Clic-H bracelets available for this sale.

“15 minutes left,” shouted a uniformed man as he walked down the aisles.

Oh no. I looked down at the cashmere scarves that I had to choose between. I quickly shoved one into my overflowing paper bag and made my way to the cashier. On the way, I briefly went through the twillys. There were patterns like Les Leopards and Savana Dance.

The line snaked all the way through the stanchions in front of the registers. There are five registers each with one assistant and one cashier.

“NEXT!” A voice shouted from the end of the tables.

I heaved my bag on top of the table.

“Do you have any jewelry items?” asked the assistant.

“Yes,” I replied. I gave him my information and he retrieved a paper bag with the bracelet I picked up for my friend.

The cashier asked the assistant, “What time is it?”

After the assistant replied it was closing time she mouthed, “Thank God.”

My items were placed into a white bag with the number of items written in Sharpie on the outside. The assistant stapled the receipt to the outside of the bag.

“Thank you,” he said as he handed me the bags.

I walked back downstairs to the coat check, happy with my purchases. I had conquered the sale.

What to Wear

Comfortable shoes and clothes: Check the weather. There will be a short wait outside.
Do NOT wear any Hermes. You do not want your personal items to be confused with sale items, especially enamel bracelets and shoes.

What to Buy

Ready-to-wear is 50-70% off.
Shoes are 50% off.
Silks are 50% off.
Blankets, towels, baby items are 50% off.
Costume jewelry is 50% off.

Rules

Yup, there’s even rules for the sale.

Six pairs of shoes per person. Only ONE Oran, Oasis or Izmir style shoe per person.
One item in Equestrian RTW per person.
No limit on Women’s and Men’s RTW, but no more than three of the same item can be purchased.
Six silk scarf limit, including ONE cashmere per person. No more than three of the same item.
One enamel OR one hinge bracelet per person.

How to Get There

Soiffer Haskin

317 W 33rd Street

New York, NY 10001

The closest Subway stop is 34 Street Penn Station.

Tips

Bring a friend to shop with, hold your place in line for bathroom breaks and most of all to prevent you from becoming blinded by the sale tag.

Any appointment slot is good. They are constantly replenishing items. So don’t feel discouraged if you have a late appointment time.

Always buy what you love. Nothing is worse than buyer’s remorse. AND please don’t go in expecting that you will be able to make a profit from your items. The resale market is already saturated and these are not hot items, like a Birkin or Kelly.

This sale is by appointment only. Corporate sends out the email invitations. It is not open to the public at this time.