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Bad Manners and Brimstone
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#Post#: 32010--------------------------------------------------
Re: Purchasing and Returning Clothing
DIR By: LurkingGurl
Date: May 30, 2019, 11:26 pm
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--- Quote from: lakey link ---
>
> Stores allow returns because sometimes it is just necessary.
However, buying a large number of items knowing that almost all
of it is to be returned is taking advantage of the store's
policies. I don't think it is very nice to deliberately create
extra work for store personnel, because daughters can't be
bothered to go to the store.
> Also, what is she teaching her daughters, who don't want to
go to the store to shop for bathing suits? That mom and store
personnel can do extra work to pander to them? If they don't
want to go bathing suit shopping, then maybe they don't need new
bathing suits. Let them make their choice, and live with the
results, old, ratty bathing suits.
>
--- End Quote ---
If the store allows items to be returned then a customer is not
doing anything wrong at all by returning items.
And taking in returns is not "extra work," it's just
"work"--part of the job.
The customer bears the burden of bringing the items back in the
same condition that they took them in. The store has their
money for however long these items remain in the customer's
hands. It's not like the store, grudgingly, has some free
service where people can just take home what they want and then
bring back what they don't and then pay for what they keep.
Anything that goes wrong with the clothes ends up being in the
store's favor. And if the customer fails to bring them back
within the time limit then that is also in the store's favor.
All around, in spite of clerks having to do a little more work
in this regard, all the risks are all in the store's favor.
--- Quote from: Codewoman link ---
>
> It is part of the stores' business models, I'm sure. They
allow it and they know people are going to do it. And the staff
willingly take back the clothing. They likely provide good
customer service, too. No argument there. So folks may not
realize the impact it has or the opinions it influences. I guess
I thought it was like something you'd see in one of those
articles - "Things your store clerk doesn't tell you." And
they're not all secrets about how to get the best deals.
>
> Also, I believe people are abusing the service. Stores will up
their prices to compensate. So everyone will pay more for the
misdeeds of a few. And if it continues to escalate, they will
stop allowing it.
>
--- End Quote ---
It's true that stores that take returns cost more. There are
stores that don't allow returns--many are discount stores like
Burlington Coat Factory. I believe they only give store credit
for returns.
Lots of people shop at particular stores because they want the
option of taking it back and are choosing to pay more already
for all of the customer friendly policies that are in place.
--- Quote from: Isisnin link ---
>
> But bottom line, if a store doesn't have a limit on returns
per transaction, the cashier has to do it. And the OP is right,
it is one of the employees' pet peeves. It holds up the other
customers, holds up the cashier from breaks/leaving, and is a
transaction most dreaded due to the 1st paragraph above. And
the OP is also right in that returns like this do label the
customer as "that customer". That means we don't extend
ourselves to them and even try to avoid them. I had "that
customer" today. Even the manager declined her request. That's
what happens when one pushes too much and too often.
>
--- End Quote ---
I think holding grudges against certain customers is rude,
especially if they are paying customers.
The idea that one customer should not be allowed to do an
allowed transaction because it makes someone else have to wait
longer is ridiculous. Why is the person in back of that person
more important? How do you know that person isn't going to
bring back everything they're buying?
I can understand being more accommodating to good customers, but
I can't understand treating someone identified as "that
customer" in any less professional fashion than you would treat
any stranger who walked in the door.
--- Quote from: Victoria link ---
>
> For the purposes of an etiquette question regarding treatment
of store employees, the context doesn't even matter. It could
just be reduced to "Person bought 10 items and returned 9 of
them. Rude to the store's employees or not?" And I would have to
say it's not. When I worked in retail I didn't stew over how
many of a particular item was bought and returned or even notice
it that much. Stuff like that didn't make an impact on me. I
also think that it would be really hard, if not impossible, to
articulate an etiquette principle or rule based on quantity. Is
it rude to return 9 swimsuits but not 10? Is it rude to buy or
return a whole bunch of stuff? Does the fact that you may be
"that customer" in an employee's mind automatically mean that
you're rude?
>
--- End Quote ---
That seems like a really healthy attitude. All jobs have some
aspect to them that sucks. People suck in so many other
ways--they do things that are completely outside the policies of
the store; they tear things apart, they let their kids tear
things apart.
A customer playing by the rules that the store sets is not being
rude to anyone.
#Post#: 32014--------------------------------------------------
Re: Purchasing and Returning Clothing
DIR By: Lula
Date: May 31, 2019, 4:16 am
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--- Quote from: Codewoman link ---
>
> I'm in a quarrel with some people in a private social medial
group. A woman posted that she was irritated with her two
daughters, because she had a hard time finding them swimwear
they liked. She went to a local clothing store (Old Navy) and
purchased $500 worth of swimsuits and took them home to her
daughters to try them on. She returned about $400 worth of the
suits.
>
> I suggested she not do this, as the store staff who have to
deal with the returned swimwear consider this a pet peeve.
>
> As you might guess, several people have indicated it is the
job of the staff to deal with this and if they don't like it,
they should quit. Also, one woman suggested she's worked in
retail and she's never witnessed this (I did not inquire if
*this* was the return of many items of clothing or the employees
who complain to one another about it).
>
> I reiterated my feeling that employees viewed this negatively,
and they shouldn't do it if they didn't want to be "that
customer." One or two responses tried to convince me these
people were greeted with absolute joy by the staff who took back
their rejected clothing.
>
> I think these people are sadly mistaken. I believe the process
of purchasing in bulk with the intention of returning most of
them has gotten out of hand. I think it's tacky.
>
> What are your opinions?
>
--- End Quote ---
This retail worker agrees with and thanks you.
I so wish my store would institute restocking fees to deter
this.
#Post#: 32017--------------------------------------------------
Re: Purchasing and Returning Clothing
DIR By: DCGirl
Date: May 31, 2019, 5:47 am
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It's also important to note that some stores (especially some
large national chains) track the number of returns a customer
has and may eventually refuse to accept returns from people that
it perceives as abusing its returns policy. I think the chain
mentioned above is one of them, so this kind of behavior, while
not inherently rude, could eventually catch up with this mother.
#Post#: 32021--------------------------------------------------
Re: Purchasing and Returning Clothing
DIR By: DaDancingPsych
Date: May 31, 2019, 7:53 am
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I do not work retail, but there are things about my job that
annoy me. There are policies that the company has that I think
are not productive. I imagine every employee in any field has
similar feelings over something. Even though something annoys
does not make it rude... the customer/client/vendor is following
the policy set-up by the company and annoyed me is paid to
assist with that.
If the customer is following the policy (that the store will
allow you to return any number of things), then I do not see the
rudeness. Retail workers are typically paid hourly, so it is
really not extra work, but just work. There is a way to see this
as job security, as it does create work that the employee can be
paid to do.
Sure, it would have made more sense for the mother to bring her
children to the store to try on the suits, but the store allowed
her to do it this way, so she did. I don't see an etiquette
blunder here.
I have purchased things with the idea that I could return them
if they did not work out. Sometimes, I fail to return them.
Because this policy made me feel comfortable that I could change
my mind, they got my money... and ended up getting to keep it! I
am assuming that I am in the minority and that the companies are
not making tons of money from unwanted sales, but it does
happen.
#Post#: 32023--------------------------------------------------
Re: Purchasing and Returning Clothing
DIR By: Hmmm
Date: May 31, 2019, 8:11 am
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I've been on both sides both as a customer, a retail sales
clerk, and my mother owned a clothing store. It is up to the
store to set their return policies and it is up to the staff to
support those policies. We all have things about our work we do
not like. I think it's silly for a store clerk to never expect
this to happen. There are so many things that store clerks can
have as pet peeves but really the only way to get assure their
pet peeves are never triggered is to not have customers. A good
day is when you don't have a customer come back to return an
obviously worn item, a dressing room with 30 pairs of jeans
dumped on the floor, or caller wanting you to spend 15 minutes
searching for an items and when you can't find what they want,
asking you to look for 2nd and 3rd options. Having to stand
there and do a return of 20 items is not a big deal. If there is
a long line a the counter, then the manager should be called to
handle the transaction.
I've also been in situations where I knew I would be returning
the bulk of a purchase and I confirmed the store was ok with
that. My DD wears a size 5 US shoe. The store with the best
selection is about 30 min away and closer to my office. For
special events like prom, homecoming or weddings, I'd often pick
up 6 to 8 pair and return all but 1. And it was easier to try on
at home with the planned dress than finding time to take her and
the dress to the store. They were fine with that because they
knew I'd return within a day or two. But that situation was
extreme. If I was buying for my son for a new season, I'd often
know I'd be returning a 4th to a 3rd to of the items I picked
up.
Someone mentioned why not use online shopping and I do that very
often. But I actually think overbuying and planning to return is
even more costly for the online stores. At least at traditional
stores I'm paying for the cost of transporting to and from.
From and etiquette standpoint, I think once you made your
comment, it was time to disengage. I don't think it is value
trying to argue your point. And as Miss Manners says, we really
shouldn't correct others people's manners.
#Post#: 32027--------------------------------------------------
Re: Purchasing and Returning Clothing
DIR By: Isisnin
Date: May 31, 2019, 9:00 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: Mary Sunshine Rain link ---
>
> ....
>
> All around, in spite of clerks having to do a little more work
in this regard, all the risks are all in the store's favor.
>
--- End Quote ---
It depends on the store. E.g. Some stores have mark downs or
sales so frequently, that returned items can end up being resold
(if some does buy them) at lower prices than the original
prices. They also have to take back returns of sales from other
stores thus reducing profit margins. That's a real issue with
our store as we don't get the higher end merchandise so people
drive farther to shop the higher end locations but often return
to us as we are closer to their work or home.
We had a store manager who would get really upset at large
returns (# or $) for those reasons since he was under A LOT of
pressure to increase the store's profit. Us lowly cashiers
thought he was incredibly unprofessional to show how upset he
was while in sight of the customers. It's ok to rant in the back
office, but so wrong on the floor.
--- Quote from: Mary Sunshine Rain link ---
>
> [quote author=Isisnin link=topic=1163.msg31993#msg31993
date=1559261611]
> But bottom line, if a store doesn't have a limit on returns
per transaction, the cashier has to do it. And the OP is right,
it is one of the employees' pet peeves. It holds up the other
customers, holds up the cashier from breaks/leaving, and is a
transaction most dreaded due to the 1st paragraph above. And
the OP is also right in that returns like this do label the
customer as "that customer". That means we don't extend
ourselves to them and even try to avoid them. I had "that
customer" today. Even the manager declined her request. That's
what happens when one pushes too much and too often.
>
--- End Quote ---
I think holding grudges against certain customers is rude,
especially if they are paying customers.
The idea that one customer should not be allowed to do an
allowed transaction because it makes someone else have to wait
longer is ridiculous. Why is the person in back of that person
more important? How do you know that person isn't going to
bring back everything they're buying?
I can understand being more accommodating to good customers, but
I can't understand treating someone identified as "that
customer" in any less professional fashion than you would treat
any stranger who walked in the door.
[/quote]
Expressing the grudge to the customer is rude. But people are
people, even cashiers, and they do have feelings. It is not rude
to have feelings How and if you express them can be an issue.
Personally, there is only one customer that I avoid. She is a
very clever "creative" returner. She has only been declined for
returns a few times, but when she gets to the cashier she has a
smirk on her face. I don't care whether or not she is getting
away with something, but don't want to deal with that smirk.
However, if I get her, I get her and stay professional.
Conversely, there is a cashier who actively often avoids a
variety of customers. She will actually walk away from from the
register after seeing who is at the front of the queue. Cashiers
(including me) have complained about her and she is being
watched.
#Post#: 32035--------------------------------------------------
Re: Purchasing and Returning Clothing
DIR By: Jayhawk
Date: May 31, 2019, 10:41 am
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I think some stores are cracking down on allowing "high volume
return" customers to do this. I don't remember off the top of my
head who they are, though.
#Post#: 32039--------------------------------------------------
Re: Purchasing and Returning Clothing
DIR By: lowspark
Date: May 31, 2019, 11:15 am
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I worked in retail (eons ago) and believe me, customers
legitimately returning things are a long shot from being "that
customer". I worked at a store that had an extremely liberal
return policy and we took back pretty much anything, including
clothes which had been worn for years and items the store didn't
even carry. Not to mention customers who were deliberately rude
and abusive just because they could be, people who were lonely
and used store clerks as sounding boards, etc. So yeah, buying
more than you need and returning the surplus just isn't that big
a deal. And people abusing the system is not new.
I agree, too, that with online shopping, this kind of thing is
becoming more the norm and in some ways, encouraged by the
retailers. I can buy on line and return to a local store easily,
and with minimum purchase = free shipping, it's in my own best
interest to buy multiple items on spec and simply return what I
don't want.
I think that the competition has gotten so fierce that sellers
are doing whatever they can to increase business. But hey, if
they don't want returns, they only need to revise their
policies. I do believe that there is a certain percentage in
profit made from stuff bought and never returned even though
it's not wanted. That's why you can often find new-with-tags
items at resale shops. That's where that stuff ends up.
#Post#: 32040--------------------------------------------------
Re: Purchasing and Returning Clothing
DIR By: Victoria
Date: May 31, 2019, 11:17 am
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--- Quote from: Jayhawk link ---
>
> I think some stores are cracking down on allowing "high volume
return" customers to do this. I don't remember off the top of my
head who they are, though.
>
--- End Quote ---
I know that the TJX company requires either a receipt or your
driver's license in order to make a return. They have a pretty
generous return policy (30 days for money back or 180 days store
credit) and I think they flat-out said that people were abusing
it. I think that's more about high frequency returns, though.
#Post#: 32045--------------------------------------------------
Re: Purchasing and Returning Clothing
DIR By: JeanFromBNA
Date: May 31, 2019, 12:39 pm
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There's more to it than meets the eye. Check out these
articles:
HTML http://money.com/money/5288702/amazon-return-policy-ban/
HTML https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-your-returns-are-used-against-you-at-best-buy-other-retailers-1520933400?mod=article_inline
HTML https://www.elliott.org/case-dismissed-2/the-retail-equation-protects-merchants-against-serial-returners/
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