Community Chat

[On It]

Having worked in retail on and off over the years, I learned there are people who shop and return as a sport. They are bored and go around town on buying sprees, then come back in a day or two and return all their purchases with only the lamest excuses. This is costly to the retailer, time consuming for employees, and not always sellable.

One customer who was returning a number of items had something like an organizer and stood at the counter going through her file of receipts until she found ours. I resent returns, and I have to force myself to be civil to the person making them. If they only knew what I was thinking!

[Lipstickdiva]

I know this is an ongoing problem and didn't just start during the pandemic however, during the height of the pandemic, many stores in my area wouldn't allow anything to be tried on.  The fitting rooms were blocked off/closed.  You had no choice but to buy something, try it on at home and return or exchange it if it didn't fit.

With more and more people buying on-line rather than in-store, this is something companies are going to have to accommodate  for.  Returns and exchanges are part of the cost of doing business.  

If a company doesn't offer free returns, I can't imagine returning as often as some people do.  I think if they sat down and added up all the money they've lost in return postage and original s/h that isn't refunded, that would be a deterrent.  There are still people who don't realize that most stores don't refund original s/h and that they are often paying return postage .  

[Iwantcoffee]

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@gardenman wrote:

There was an interview with Erin Andrews (I think) a few months ago where she was talking about always ordering the same thing in two or three sizes as she could never be sure how something would fit then returning the ones that didn't fit. She was upset that one of the stores she was ordering from had banned her for excessive returns and she wouldn't shop from them again because of that. Just order your size. If it fits, great. If it doesn't return it and try again in a different size. But, always ordering multiple sizes of the same thing to find one that fits can just kill a business. 

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It kills the business and keeps other people from being able to order a product she has at home to see what fits.

[Spurt]

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@gardenman wrote:

There was an interview with Erin Andrews (I think) a few months ago where she was talking about always ordering the same thing in two or three sizes as she could never be sure how something would fit then returning the ones that didn't fit. She was upset that one of the stores she was ordering from had banned her for excessive returns and she wouldn't shop from them again because of that. Just order your size. If it fits, great. If it doesn't return it and try again in a different size. But, always ordering multiple sizes of the same thing to find one that fits can just kill a business. 

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@gardenman @On It 

Yep, you make a great points (a relative was a Department Store Manager, became a District Manager and Buyer---and yes there were some people that actually brought clothes at the start of school and then came in for a refund after they had worn out the clothes, but the Corporate Office said to make the return with a smile even though they knew the consumer was ripping them off!!!) ,

BUT on the other side part of the consumer's problem which comes from the MANUFCTURER being INCONSISTENT IN SIZING!!! and the RETAILER accepting poor quality!  I have done that only once or twice and I very seldom make a return, but a couple of occasions when something looked like it was gonna sell out and I really really liked the item I did order two sizes and returned one, but I only have done that RARELY and only at QVC.(but keep in mind I also lost my original shipping to do it this way---which was a loss of a few bucks for me)....Funny how I can shop in my favorite Department Store, Dillards, and sometimes I dont even try it on in the store and it fits perfectly because that BRAND is SPOT ON when it comes to sizing....

The manufacturer and the retailer also has SOME responsibility in the matter.....And I dont trust these vendors that tell you to size up or size down and the website measurements cant be trusted...🙄

[Spurt]

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@Isobel Archer wrote:

The garment measurements should tell you whether the item will fit or not.

And yes, I have returned items where the actual item does not match the stated garment measurement - but that makes the item defective.

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@Isobel Archer 

I dont know about other Retailer Websites, but QVC's cannot be trusted...Here's just one example, I purchased what was supposed to be a tunic top 29 inch length to wear with leggings and when I received it the actual length was 26.didnt work with the leggings so here goes a return......and thats not the only time the garment and CLICK HERE measurements were WAY OFF!!!  And because of this there's only a couple QVC vendors I trust and my clothing purchases have greatly declined

[50Mickey]

@On It   I must have been behind the customer in line who returned so many items that she needed an organizer to find her receipts. Right before Christmas I was picking up an online order from Macy's. I stood in line at customer service for over 30 minutes while a lady returned 3 huge bags of clothing, shoes, underwear and jewelry all purchased for a wedding. Either the wedding was called off or she bought all of the gowns and men's suits and accessories  and the wedding party didn't like them. At least the items still had tags and she had the receipts but it was a pain the the you know what. The associate had to check each garment to make sure it was clean and in new condition and hang every one of the garments on a rack.  If I had not been there to pick up a Christmas present for my granddaughter I would have walked out of the store. Retail sales associates have my respect.

[Isobel Archer]

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@Spurt wrote:

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@Isobel Archer wrote:

The garment measurements should tell you whether the item will fit or not.

And yes, I have returned items where the actual item does not match the stated garment measurement - but that makes the item defective.

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@Isobel Archer 

I dont know about other Retailer Websites, but QVC's cannot be trusted...Here's just one example, I purchased what was supposed to be a tunic top 29 inch length to wear with leggings and when I received it the actual length was 26.didnt work with the leggings so here goes a return......and thats not the only time the garment and CLICK HERE measurements were WAY OFF!!!  And because of this there's only a couple QVC vendors I trust and my clothing purchases have greatly declined

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@Spurt   Yes, I've had those issues too.  Whenever the stated garment measurements are different enough from the actual ones to make a difference in fit or looks, I've returned them as defective.  I have no had to pay return shipping.  I don't know the Q's policy, but defective returns should not count against you in my view.

[drizzellla]

This subject hit a nerve with me. I worked in retail and the awful and sad things I show. I could never work retail again. I am surprised that there are any brick and mortar stores still open. No wonder malls are dying. As one person stated returning has become a game.

And @sometimesQVCaddict  you are so right most returns are thrown out.

I was watching Hoarders this weekend. There was a woman who had volunteers cleaning up her hoarded house. One volunteer opened her small refrigerator. It was a little one with one shelf. Everything was rotten and the smell was overpowering. The volunteer asked if he could throw it out. The homeowner replied she was going to return it. 

She said it didn't work right. The stuff in the refrigerator was mush and I bet was years old. And yet she was determined that she was going to return it. She clearly had it for quite awhile.

[faeriemoon]

Serial returners are responsible for the high cost of making returns, the bogged down (slow) return system, and all the waste of resources needed to make the returns.

If you're returning too much, you're buying too much.

[jlkz]

Just last week there was a video feed on my stock market app that showed the different places " returns " went:

landfills brimming with items that could have been resold except for the additional costs to process and return to stock if the season hadn't been over.

warehouses that had pile after pile of things strewn all over, costing someone $ for rent, storage, processing, etc

trash-to-steam sites where smoke billows and pollutes the environment

New industry ( Similar to "Storage Wars" ): where you buy a fixed amount of stuff sight unseen and hope there is something useable or profitable inside.