The State of the Terrifying Hermès Sample Sale Line

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At least the warmer weather is siding with Hermès sample sale shoppers, since time certainly isn't. Racked NY associate editor Channing Hargrove arrived to the sale venue at 317 West 33rd Street shortly before the doors were scheduled to open at 9am and found a line of hundreds that stretched all the way to Ninth Avenue and wrapped around 32nd Street — and that's not even counting the people that are waiting inside. People are slowly shuffling forward, but it's not clear whether they're actually getting into the sale or just being crowded closer together by security.

Update: Hargrove overheard a security guard telling a customer (one of several well-dressed ones waiting in line, she noted) that this is the longest line he's seen at this venue. He recommended that she allot six hours (not a typo) from the time she first got in line to when she could expect to leave the sale.

Luckily, the same situation won't be found outside The Row's sample sale. Racked NY associate editor Rebecca Jennings reports that there were less than ten people waiting outside with as many minutes left until those doors opened. Check back later to hear about what we found at both of these sales, two of the biggest names in a week that's full of discounts.