As most readers are probably aware, I’m a big NFL fan. Much like fishing, football is pretty much religion in my family. Perhaps if my father had been a preacher rather than a high school football coach, I’d be telling a different story today about faith, but in the Hutchinson world it’s all about family, fishing, and football (not necessarily in that order).
After my Philadelphia Eagles grabbed receiver Mikai Lemon with their first pick in the April draft, my phone was buzzing with texts from equally obsessed family and friends. It wasn’t until that Saturday while plugging away at stripers with a buddy, just prior to the nor’east winds and rains that afternoon that I was on the receiving end of a group text with my wife and daughter. “Arriving at Philadelphia training complex for his first day and he’s already got a Goyard bag,” my wife texted, my daughter replying “Love it!”
It’s worth noting that that both my wife and daughter enjoy fishing with the prickly old patriarch on occasion; but in terms of football, I must say I’m somewhat of a missionary, able to convert both of these ladies into rabid Eagles fans, even if they are still urban-afflicted professional women tied to fashion and culture. “I assume Goyard is some pricey bag,” I responded. Oh Jimmy, you’re so out of touch.
I always thought Coach was the big brand in bag fashion; that and perhaps Gucci. Of course, my fanciest bags are from Plano and Pelican, so what do I know. But a Goyard bag like the one the Eagles top pick was carrying around in Philly immediately after the draft apparently costs more than much of my fishing tackle. It prompted me to ask my wife about the price of status, a little shopping intel on my part for future gift ideas. That’s when she mentioned the brand Hermès.
As the wife explained, even if you’ve got money out the wazoo – and unless you’re Taylor Swift, or perhaps the NFL player who is dating her – don’t expect to just waltz into an Hermès boutique with cash in hand hoping to walk out with one of their exorbitantly priced bags. You have to earn it before you can buy it!
After a bit of Googling, I found the “retail” price for a standard Birkin 25 in Togo leather starts at around $10,400, and runs upwards of $13,500. But that’s retail; the price on the open market is two to three times that amount! You see, unless you’re a preferred Hermès shopper who gets tapped on the shoulder to enter the big game, you’re not entitled to buy one at retail, which supposedly makes them highly coveted on the secondary market.
Still with me? In order to buy a Birkin bag at Hermès, you apparently have to be a regular; someone who frequents the shop and continually drops coin on other products, until reaching some level of preferred customer status, a fashionista’s Zen if you will. Then, once you’ve n proven worthy enough, I guess someone gives you the nod, whispering “hey, come in the back room with me.” And that point, you’ve finally crossed over to coveted status, and are now entitled to plop down $12,000 to walk out with a Hermès Birkin bag.
The best part? Since there’s an exclusive socioeconomic threshold required for point-of-purchase at the retail level, on the open market you can probably sell that bag for two, even three times the price you actually paid. That said, even if I did sell off all my fishing gear to collect enough cash, the folks at Hermès will not allow me to purchase a Birkin for my wife’s birthday this summer. Sorry honey (whew!)
If you’re a tackle manufacturer reading this, please don’t get any ideas.
