STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

atlgirl · Gucci

RE: How often do you return something?

luckylily · Gucci

I rarely return things. Like others I try not to make a lot of impulse purchases.

However, I'll sometimes buy something even though I'm not sure how it'll work with my wardrobe. I'll take it home and try to make 3 or 4 outfits out of it. If I can't make several outfits, I'll return. This usually is because the color in the store looks different to me than it does in natural light.

wildflower930 · BCBG

I ALWAYS return things. I think I have it figured out why though. I think I like the "high" of buying something, but then once I get it home I realize that I don't really need it and I feel guilty about spending money on it.

I do have to say though that my returning habit has gotten better because I don't go to the mall as often as I used to, which is a good thing.

bumblebee · Coach

i return things all the time, because i have this silly panic that if i do not buy something when i first see it, i may decide later that i can't live without it and it will be gone. so i buy things i'm not sure about (or i haven't tried on) all the time and then have to return them.

Christine · Coach

bumblebee wrote:

i return things all the time, because i have this silly panic that if i do not buy something when i first see it, i may decide later that i can't live without it and it will be gone. so i buy things i'm not sure about (or i haven't tried on) all the time and then have to return them.

Bumblebee....I am the same way. I used to use a different method of shopping, a couple of years ago....I'd see something I loved, then I'd go home to "think it over." Then, if I couldn't stop thinking about it, I knew I'd have to have it. But when I'd go back, it would usually be gone (I hate even thinking about the things I missed out on...) Now I grab the things I love right away so I don't kick myself later!!

sage · Dooney & Bourke

I used to return things alot, because of impulse purchases, but now I think things over more, and then go back. Right now I am thinking alot about a pair of brown harness boots I saw two weeks ago at the mall. The girl told me it was a new boot, would probably be around as nobody seemed to be doing fall shopping yet. So I am going this week to buy them. If my size is there, they were meant to be mine, if it isnt, aaahhh,sadly, it wasnt meant to be. I believe in boot fate.

Oh, I still impulse buy, but I limit it to thrift stores where the damage is much smaller and there are no returns.

-- Edited by sage at 20:48, 2005-09-19

sephorablue · Marc Jacobs

wildflower930 wrote:

I ALWAYS return things. I think I have it figured out why though. I think I like the "high" of buying something, but then once I get it home I realize that I don't really need it and I feel guilty about spending money on it.

yeah, I do this too. Sometimes if I'm at Loehmann's and they have a ton of good stuff I just get this weird hysteria where there are so many good things that my decision-making faculties fly out the window. In those cases, I bring stuff home, try it on when the shopping frenzy has passed, and return accordingly. It's been known to fail, though; last fall I bought three pairs of designer jeans because I could NOT decide which I liked best, and wound up returning only one instead of two.

carmenb513 · Coach

It is very rare that I return.I think a lot has to do with me working in retail like Nyla said.

But I make several impulse purchases and and pretty much know I have to have it and the rest is history. I do find at my part-time job.........I hope this doesn't offend anyone here, that people go hog wild and then realize they've spent every dime they have and then run through mall returning before the checking account has a negative balance. I, could use a serious budget, and a shopping ban- which won't happen in the next 2 weeks.............. but I feel silly returning something I salivated over 2 days prior, and the same SA who rang me out looks like she could barf over my brokeness.I guess really I'm almost embarrassed as I return knowing it fit fine.

I do however after going shopping mad.....will re-eval my closet and get to listing things on ebay that I have absolutely no use for. I usually can bounce back a little after that.

Cortney1982 · Chanel

I used to never return anything. But that was when I was younger and had lless money and was careful at what I purchased and didn't shop too often. But after working in retail, I see how much people return stuff and the condition they bring things back (some are pretty amazing, I could write a book on ridiculous returns, scams people try to pull and other interesting work stories!) so I will return things once in a while. I have even worn something and returned it too on two occasions! Though I did return them in better condition than when I purchased them since I ironed the wrinkled up items. Once was this cute jacket that I decided could only be put together with one possible outfit. Plus once I bought these pants for an interview wore them to the interview, didn't get hired, so wouldn't be needing these pants to wear to the job and returned them! I'm so bad!

I currently have that black lace Rampage top sitting in my car that needs to be returned. I figured I will never wear it even though it looks so cute on and besides now I saw that it was on a better sale.

hotcocoa · Kate Spade

i am a BIG returner. (don't hate me retail girls!) it really doesn't have anything to do with being an impulse shopper because i am not. i usually stalk things out online beforehand so when i get to my favorite stores i can touch and feel and get a better sense of it. 75% of the time it's disappointing in person and i pass on it. purchasing online without seeing it in store is where my massive amount of returns come in (see my 75% of the time it's dissapointing comment). i only shop online at a handful of places where i know the sizing and fit of the clothes but it's the color, material, craftsmanship that you cannot see on your monitor and i shop online more often than not. i'm always keeping my items in my shopping cart for at least a few days, but up to 3-4 weeks before buying so i'm very carefully considering any purchase i make. it's the unknown that makes me return... bad stitching, poor representation of color etc. not all my purchases are so planned out... i do buy things on the spot if they happen to be a piece on my list but those might get returned too. this past summer i was in search of wedge espadrilles to replace a pair that fell apart on me and i found a pair of c.ronsons for $30 at loehmann's (a deal right?) well, i got home and tried them on with some outfits and realized they were way too hoochie for me and the search had to continue. i'm an honest customer so i don't feel bad about my returns.

Lina · BCBG

sfcaligirl wrote:

hmmm, i return things a lot. (now i'm worried that i'm going to have my returning privileges revoked if that marie claire article is true!) sometimes i'll go crazy when i shop- then i check my bank account and realize that i'm poor and if i want to eat, some things will need to go back! haha... this is why i always check the return policy before i buy- it sucks when you're as broke as i am and then you can't get your money back!

Ditto for me, I am trying to work on this.