I'm strolling along in Target today, looking at the scarves. THIS scarf catches my eye. I see that it says Hermes. I think to myself: "Hmmm...did Hermes make a collection for Target, like Missoni?" The tag says it is silk, and there aren't any other scarves like it on the display. The scarf itself doesn't have a price tag, but it's on a plastic ring, so that it can hang on the display hooks, and the plastic ring has a price tag attached: $14.99. Well, this scarf clearly has no business being for sale in Target.
I can only assume that some poor shopper must have lost it while at Target, and a sales associate picked it up and put it with the other scarves. So, I put it in my cart while I do some soul-searching. If I put it back, someone else will just pick it up and buy it later, right? I could take it up to Customer Service, and assume they will put it in the Lost & Found box, if one exists (or will someone behind the counter just keep it?). I think: "am I on Candid Camera?"
Well, I decided to buy it. So, now, I wonder if maybe it's a fake, That would certainly make me feel better, knowing that someone just lost their fake $20 Hermes, and not their genuine $400 Hermes. A quick Google search rules out the most obvious indicators that it is a fake, so it could be real.
What do you make of this? I guess I want confirmation that I didn't essentially steal this. Do I take it as a gift from the Couture gods? Or did I just fail an ethical test? Arggggg!
So. What do you think? What would you have done?
I've asked my "Dealer," Malena (she of The Bag fame), of the eponymous vintage boutique in West Chester, PA, her thoughts on the matter. Check back soon to see what she has to say on the scarf's authenticity and what she might do.
7 comments:
Yeah, I would've bought it too. HA! I can't wait to find out if it's actually real!
DWJ - the expert opinion comes up tomorrow!
I would have totally done the same. Sometimes good things happen to good people ya know :) If it had been found at a thrift store there would have been no worry- this isn't that different..
belatedly read your Hermes post-- would have totally done the same. Sometimes good things happen to good people ya know :) I mean, if the same thing had happened at a yard sale I wouldn't blink an eye!
This scarf is authentic Hermes and would cost around $299 if bought on eBay or through a reseller or consignment seller. I'm afraid someone lost something dear to them.
Sorry, hit send before I finished. I would have bought it and then turned it into Lost and Found. But that's just me.
I would have advised the store that I had found it, left details of the scarf and taken it home for safe keeping. If no one claimed it after, say 10 days, then it would be your friends, free and clear.
M.
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