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Velvet Escalators: What High-End Department Stores Know About Selling to the Wealthy
Season 1 Episode 235
Walk into Bergdorf Goodman on a Tuesday afternoon and you’ll notice something strange.
It’s quiet.
Not dead. Not empty. Just… hushed.
The kind of hush you only find in a cathedral, a private club, or a penthouse suite.
You don’t see price tags dangling.
You don’t hear salespeople shouting deals.
And you certainly don’t see crowded racks or endcaps stuffed with “last chance” signs.
Instead, you see a perfectly spaced row of cashmere.
A pair of Loro Piana gloves resting on a velvet-lined tray.
A Loewe handbag positioned under its own pool of light.
This isn’t a store.
It’s a stage.
And every detail has been designed for one purpose:
To make the wealthy feel like they belong.
🛍 The Performance of Elegance
When you’re selling to the affluent, the product is never just the product.
At Bergdorf’s, at Harrods, at Le Bon Marché in Paris, the walls whisper legacy. The lighting flatters. The sales associates move with the ease of seasoned diplomats—never hovering, never pushing, always knowing.
You’re not there to “buy” a scarf.
You’re there to experience the kind of shopping that reminds you who you are.
Harrods has an entire division called By Appointment. Not just personal shopping—private shopping. Clients are ushered into secluded lounges where tailors, stylists, and champagne wait. The entry point? You don’t just walk in. You’re referred. Or you’re invited.
Even Nordstrom—on the surface, more mainstream—has invested heavily in rebranding its highest-tier locations. At their NYC flagship, the VIP entrances don’t just skip the crowds—they avoid the brand entirely. It’s a different door. A different elevator. A different experience.
Why? Because the wealthy don’t want to be sold to.
They want to be recognized.
And great department stores?
They don’t sell things.
They curate identity.
If You Want to Build a Business Like That…
You need more than a LinkedIn profile.
You need more than referrals.
And you definitely need more than “hoping the right people find you.”
You need a system.
If that’s what you want—if you’re ready to attract and convert affluent clients with structure, elegance, and repeatability—go to GetWealthyClients.com.
That’s where you’ll find my bestselling book The Affluent Marketing Blueprint along with the training programs and strategies that the top 1% of real estate agents, financial advisors, consultants, and luxury service providers are using to consistently close high-net-worth clients.
No gimmicks. No cold DMs.
Just real positioning.
Built to command trust—and premium fees.
Go there now. I’ll show you what to do next.
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Published on 5 days, 16 hours ago