How does an SA afford to wear expensive retail clothes?

[jeff13007]



Id sell every vital organ to get to one of these sample sales.

Lol now they only do it for their top 10 customers, we are partially to blame actually, my friend invited our entire fraternity, excluding the alligator shoes i got which was by itself 15k, i bought 20k worth off stuff for 1k, but that wasnt the worse part my friends dad bought 200k worth of stuff essentially bought them out hahah. After that they became strict on it, in hindsight i should have bought more of those 10 dollar ties and 30 dollar dress shirts, not to mention several more pairs of those 80 dollar shoes lol. The thing is i never really liked tom ford until after my friend stopped working there, now i have to pay full retail for their stuff which i actually dont mind, people here will say go with steed, NSM, brioni, kiton before going for TF and i have gone with all those, but theres just this feeling that you are a huge asshole when wearing a TF suit and i love it lol.

 

[unbelragazzo]

Maybe a bit off topic, but how hard is it to get a part time job as a SA in a good dept store like NM? In a great designer shop like RL?

 

[bourbonbasted]



Maybe a bit off topic, but how hard is it to get a part time job as a SA in a good dept store like NM? In a great designer shop like RL?

Not good unless you have a lot of experience in retailing or fashion (SF doesn't count, sadly). Also, retail "part time" is different than restaurant or consulting "part time" for example, where you can work nights and weekends only. You can work a few days a week but generally the scheduling eliminates people with a Monday-Friday, 9-5 deal.

Everyone I know that works/worked in high-end stores also jumped from store to store. My RL SA came from Saks, my guy at Sid Mashburn came from RL, my Saks SA came from Zegna, etc, etc. High end places expect and demand experience on that level.

 

[impolyt_one]

How much coke and free tee shirts do you get when working at American Apparel?

 

[DerekS]



How much coke and free tee shirts do you get when working at American Apparel?

win.

 

[jeff13007]



Not good unless you have a lot of experience in retailing or fashion (SF doesn't count, sadly). Also, retail "part time" is different than restaurant or consulting "part time" for example, where you can work nights and weekends only. You can work a few days a week but generally the scheduling eliminates people with a Monday-Friday, 9-5 deal.
Everyone I know that works/worked in high-end stores also jumped from store to store. My RL SA came from Saks, my guy at Sid Mashburn came from RL, my Saks SA came from Zegna, etc, etc. High end places expect and demand experience on that level.

Yup, most of the guys at TF have worked in the industry for years, some from Armani, some from Brioni. However their associates (not salesmen) some of them had no experience in the industry, i think one used to like sell mortgages, another was a college student, and they might have a staten island guido now but ive never seen him before. Associates are the ones who make deliveries and assist the salesmen

 

[JubeiSpiegel]

My question would be, how much retail experience would someone need to get a job at a TOM FORD boutique / flagship store? I'm available weekends Mr. Ford!

 

[jeff13007]



My question would be, how much retail experience would someone need to get a job at a TOM FORD boutique / flagship store? I'm available weekends Mr. Ford!

Like i said above, to be a salesman you need alot of experience, to be an associate some would help but is not required.

 

[Saturdays]



Like i said above, to be a salesman you need alot of experience, to be an associate some would help but is not required.

Correct - You simply do not start out as a Tom Ford SA, they look for experienced individuals that have previously worked as an SA in luxury retail. Over 5 years of experience at a brand a step below Tom Ford, or 3 at a brand at the same level of Tom Ford. You are expected to bring a book of clientele, which you most likely won't have unless you are already working at high end luxury retail.

You are definitely expected to bring in a lot of Sales, and definitely expected to be working outside of work to get sales. Meaning mixing with people and going to high end events to possibly connect with someone and possibly lead them into a Tom Ford suit, or dress. They definitely compensate you for what you do and provide the suit because you are expected to wear it outside of the work place and show it off to attract potential customers.

A lot of us on the Forum don't need a sales rep to tell us what suit is which and what material is meant for who and where etc.. But there is everyone minus those style conscious, that do not know - and simply need it to be told to them in an appealing way. It gets harder and harder as the price of the suit goes up, so I definitely think a job like that is not easy to come by, and everyone here - all joking and wishing aside - should also realize that.

I always regretted not working in retail for at least a year while still in school. Its a good chance to test your people and selling skills, as well as take advantage of discounts to build up a wardrobe.

 

[cwh812]



Correct - You simply do not start out as a Tom Ford SA, they look for experienced individuals that have previously worked as an SA in luxury retail. Over 5 years of experience at a brand a step below Tom Ford, or 3 at a brand at the same level of Tom Ford. You are expected to bring a book of clientele, which you most likely won't have unless you are already working at high end luxury retail.
You are definitely expected to bring in a lot of Sales, and definitely expected to be working outside of work to get sales. Meaning mixing with people and going to high end events to possibly connect with someone and possibly lead them into a Tom Ford suit, or dress. They definitely compensate you for what you do and provide the suit because you are expected to wear it outside of the work place and show it off to attract potential customers.
A lot of us on the Forum don't need a sales rep to tell us what suit is which and what material is meant for who and where etc.. But there is everyone minus those style conscious, that do not know - and simply need it to be told to them in an appealing way. It gets harder and harder as the price of the suit goes up, so I definitely think a job like that is not easy to come by, and everyone here - all joking and wishing aside - should also realize that.
I always regretted not working in retail for at least a year while still in school. Its a good chance to test your people and selling skills, as well as take advantage of discounts to build up a wardrobe.

Are Tom Brady and Brad Pitt secret TF salesmen? This whole acting and football player shtick is a ruse to buy more TF suits?

In all seriousness, if someone has that much money and they don't know how to dress isn't saying Tom Brady and Brad Pitt wear this sh!t enough to get someone into one of their suits?

 

[SpooPoker]



Lol now they only do it for their top 10 customers, we are partially to blame actually, my friend invited our entire fraternity, excluding the alligator shoes i got which was by itself 15k, i bought 20k worth off stuff for 1k, but that wasnt the worse part my friends dad bought 200k worth of stuff essentially bought them out hahah. After that they became strict on it, in hindsight i should have bought more of those 10 dollar ties and 30 dollar dress shirts, not to mention several more pairs of those 80 dollar shoes lol. The thing is i never really liked tom ford until after my friend stopped working there, now i have to pay full retail for their stuff which i actually dont mind, people here will say go with steed, NSM, brioni, kiton before going for TF and i have gone with all those, but theres just this feeling that you are a huge asshole when wearing a TF suit and i love it lol.

IDK, I kind of call bullshit on this. No way would a store invite their best spending customers to a private sample sale where the dregs and seconds of a collection are being tossed around for peanuts. What would be the incentive on that to get them back? And someone spending 5k on a suit is not going to want to get one for $180 with some sample ball sweat on it.

 

[stevent]



IDK, I kind of call bullshit on this. No way would a store invite their best spending customers to a private sample sale where the dregs and seconds of a collection are being tossed around for peanuts. What would be the incentive on that to get them back? And someone spending 5k on a suit is not going to want to get one for $180 with some sample ball sweat on it.

Yeah unless the Fraternity had about 5 guys total, I find it hard to believe that would happen. It doesn't ever look good in situations like this if you work at a store.

 

[acidboy]

I sincerely hope la perla stores would follow tom ford's policy of dressing their sa's with their products.

 

[MyOtherLife]



Id sell every vital organ to get to one of these sample sales.

...and end up a beautifully appointed corpse indeed. R.I.P.

 

[jeff13007]



Yeah unless the Fraternity had about 5 guys total, I find it hard to believe that would happen. It doesn't ever look good in situations like this if you work at a store.

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