Max Mara is a classic brand. You cannot go wrong with any of their items. Their iconic coats, especially, go up in price every year and you can always consign them for what you originally paid if you ever choose (although the most popular Max Mara coats rarely hit the consignment market as the people who purchase them tend to keep them). Net-net: Great investment on staple pieces.
My low rating is for the sales associates here. Every time I've come in, they have been overly aggressive and so painfully obviously hungry for a commission. They will also tell you you're wrong to have certain preferences when it's so clear they just want to close a deal. For example, if they don't have an item that you're looking for in stock, instead of offering to track it down, they'll instead try to sell you something else and tell you what you originally wanted isn't as cute, desirable, etc. in an overtly cheesy and pushy way. Look, I get it: Everyone has to hit their quota. But, I'm a big shopper and the hard sell is not effective on people like me who have a strong sense of our desired aesthetic, especially when it's so embarrassingly evident what they're trying to do. Good sales associates are able to read individual clients and tailor their selling approach to each client.
The sales associates here are also either dishonest, at worst, or ignorant, at best. I was searching for a Teddy in a size small and they provided me with inaccurate information thrice in one interaction:
1) They told me they only had one coat in this size in the country, and that I can't order it online because it's sold out everywhere so I'd better purchase this coat then and there! I pulled up my phone and searched the Max Mara website. The coat was there for immediate online purchase in my size;
2) She then told me that just because it says it's available on the website doesn't necessarily mean I can buy it online. That wasn't true. I looked at other items that were sold out and clearly marked as such on the website, showing the online store *does** denote sold-out and clearance items;
3) She then told me that it would probably take 30-90 days to receive the coat if I made the purchase online because the website doesn't accurately reflect inventory. I showed her the website guaranteeing items ordered before a certain date would be received before Christmas (3 weeks away).
The whole interaction was slimy. What's worse, they know me here because I've purchase several pieces at this boutique so you'd think they'd work on nurturing a long-term relationship versus a quick sale. I would've purchased that coat in the store had I felt like the sales associate had taken my best interests in consideration.
A Max Mara coat runs well into the thousands of dollars so rushing a sale isn't good for the store or client. A sales associate worth her weight is optimizing for the lifetime value of a client, i.e., what the client will spend over their lifetime based on positive experiences with the brand; the sales associate wants the client to be ecstatic about every purchase and have no buyer's remorse.
Anyway, I bought that coat online as soon as I left the store (I should receive my coat in 5-7 business days), and this sales associate lost out on what could've been a very easy sell.
Finally, an administrative note: The boutique has a no-returns policy. However, if you buy items online, there is a 14-day return window (new and unworn, with tags stattached, obviously, which is more than fair and reasonable). This inconsistent policy seems like an oversight or poorly thought-out. I don't often return anything I purchase but having the peace of mind of knowing I can change my mind if I take the item home and it looks different on me helps a ton in getting over the mental hurdle of making such large purchases--and I'm sure I'm not alone in this. I'm guessing a return policy like the one offered online might actually help the brick-and-mortar store move more inventory in the long run. read more
