YouLookFab Forum » Topic: Serial Returners

YouLookFab Forum » Topic: Serial Returners https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/serial-returners Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Wed, 29 Apr 2026 01:35:26 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php lyn* on "Serial Returners" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/serial-returners#post-1006838 Fri, 16 Aug 2013 07:03:22 +0000 lyn* 1006838@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Whoa, people try to return altered things? That's so strange! :| rae on "Serial Returners" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/serial-returners#post-1006830 Fri, 16 Aug 2013 06:28:51 +0000 rae 1006830@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ From my (albeit limited) experience, what we as YLFers think of as "serial returners" are not what retailers raise eyebrows at. Like IK said, it is the business model to allow customers to use their homes as fitting rooms. It's people who do the opposite and use the store like their own personal wardrobe - often returning well-worn/dirty/perfumed items, items that are moths or years old, items with incorrect tags attached, special occasion dresses that were used once, items that have already had a price adjustment, or items that have already been altered - when the flags go up.  Jaime on "Serial Returners" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/serial-returners#post-1006773 Fri, 16 Aug 2013 03:57:29 +0000 Jaime 1006773@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Agree that this is absolutely built into their business model, and also your buying habits have been tracked and scrutinized (on a statistical level) for as long as you have been making online purchases. I only have this luxury for the few weeks every year or two when I am in the US and am still thinking about the pros and cons. Elly on "Serial Returners" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/serial-returners#post-1006739 Fri, 16 Aug 2013 02:35:18 +0000 Elly 1006739@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I live 4 hours from the nearest Mall. I shop online because there is less enviromental and monetary impact than driving that far just to shop. I also have no problem with returning and I love stores that offer free shipping and free returns and will return to them time and time again because I'm not spending a large chunk of my shopping budget on shipping, which lets me buy more. shedev on "Serial Returners" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/serial-returners#post-1006700 Fri, 16 Aug 2013 00:51:38 +0000 shedev 1006700@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I rarely returned anything before I started to shop at Nordies. I buy a lot from them online. Since their SA's have told me to buy multiples and return what doesn't fit, I can't feel bad. I do my returns in store and I don't usually make it out of the store without buying something else. Echo on "Serial Returners" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/serial-returners#post-1006681 Fri, 16 Aug 2013 00:21:12 +0000 Echo 1006681@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Regarding the environmental impact, that's a good point. However, the more I think about it, unless we could get EVERYONE not to order online, your or my personal orders/returns make almost no impact whatsoever. In other words, that truck from Zappos is going to go this direction whether my order is on it or not. The UPS truck needs to make deliveries to school and down the road, and I am a negligible distance from there, so no "extra" fuel is really necessary. The planes carrying freight and orders will run regardless of whether I order or not, so unless I can get the entire town not to require ANY deliveries, my portion of the total is virtually nil. I suppose the 5 lbs my shipment takes up on a truck or plane might use incrementally more fuel, but probably not enough to matter much. The changes we make regarding environmental issues can be important, but none of us can do it alone. The online shipping and return business is booming with or without me. Peri on "Serial Returners" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/serial-returners#post-1006647 Thu, 15 Aug 2013 23:24:39 +0000 Peri 1006647@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Sing me up, I return a ton! Sometimes on purpose...I couldn't choose my Nords cashmere scarf by guessing at the colors online so I ordered 3, fully intending to decide and return 2. But now I'm bra hunting and there are going to be major returns. The thing is, the specialty store in my area is all sales final, and I have to have a bra on for at least 15 minutes before I can really decide. I bought one, hate it, can't return it...and now they have lost my business. So their policy of no returns is biting them. lyn* on "Serial Returners" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/serial-returners#post-1006645 Thu, 15 Aug 2013 23:18:07 +0000 lyn* 1006645@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I'm a Canadian and I am a serial returner. The way I figure it is, if the store has a problem with it, they can tell me and I can never come to the store again. It's just not standing by what you sell. I would never buy a car if a manufacturer was like - "Yeah, that's yours and you keep it forever and I never want to see it again!" I have returned things (and seen things in the sale section) that are from a previous season w/ tags and a receipt. They sell pretty quickly and I don't see a problem with this. Firecracker (Sharan) on "Serial Returners" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/serial-returners#post-1006546 Thu, 15 Aug 2013 18:47:34 +0000 Firecracker (Sharan) 1006546@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Hmmm, I wonder if I am or have been a serial returner. I actually don't think I return that much, but during this year's NAS, I did buy and return quite a few trench coats and purses. I would not have done so, had the styles and sizes been available in the store where I did my initial sale consultation. I rarely do return shipping; I try to buy at places where I can do in-store returns, to save the hassle of packing things up and finding parking at the UPS store. But I'm lucky in having the stores nearby. Echo brings up a good point about returning items after the season has ended. I'm with Janet, though--IF that happens with me, it's rare, and it's at Nordstrom, which has such a generous return policy that such a scenario is even possible. And there, I spend so much of my hard-earned money, often on full-markup items, that I can hardly muster up much guilt. unfrumped on "Serial Returners" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/serial-returners#post-1006543 Thu, 15 Aug 2013 18:44:21 +0000 unfrumped 1006543@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I'm with Echo. My personal goal is to return as soon as possible and not hoard for months, even though that may be "legal" with some retailers. I managed to do that even with my MOTB dress shopping and so did not keep any items long or past season even though I could have.  Though I love and benefit from Nordie's liberal return policy, I can appreciate why   some stores have 30 or 90-day limits. TJMaxx has a liberal "accept return" policy, but they only give store credit if ? > 30 days or something. I did get concerned that I was returning a lot, as a result of   trying some new things and also realizing that some fun stuff may not look like much in a 2-d photo, but like Thistle I am determined not to let an item grow roots just because it came in the door. I noticed Shopbob encourages rapid returns by having free postage w/in 7 days or so. Makrame on "Serial Returners" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/serial-returners#post-1006523 Thu, 15 Aug 2013 18:21:37 +0000 Makrame 1006523@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I sort of agree with modgirl's husband regarding the environmental impact of shipping lots of boxes back and forth.  I do lots of ordering and returning from online stores (primarily Nordstrom but also Amazon and GAP/BR).  I like that the GAP/BR use plastic bags and the bags can be reused for return shipping.  However, I can see how the more expensive merchandise from Nordstrom (leather jackets, coats, suit jackets, dresses etc.) may be better preserved by using shipping boxes.   I love the fact that Nordstrom does price adjustments very easily - otherwise I would sometimes be tempted to reorder something when it goes on sale.  I wish there was a way to consolidate orders from the same online store and ship them together - instead, I often find that different items from a single order come in separate boxes (because they originate from different stores within the same chain).  On the other hand, it seems that Nordstrom does such as good job of maintaining an up-to-date online inventory of items located in various stores, that they often manage to sell me the last item in my size - so perhaps shipping in multiple boxes from different stores is the price they have to pay for being so agile.  I do try to consolidate my returns (place everything into a single box and drop off several boxes at once or order a USPS pickup for several boxes at once). Glory on "Serial Returners" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/serial-returners#post-1006504 Thu, 15 Aug 2013 18:04:36 +0000 Glory 1006504@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Hello my name is Glory and I am a serial returner. I love it! Another club. So like Suz, Kim, Gaylene - another Cnd who cannot easily buy online and return with a few exceptions previously noted such as Gap, Zara etc. Of course, I use those ones. The information I have seen on tracking has been on people returning worn items etc - although not sure how they would flag that. I return tons! I am very picky and very indecisive - not a great combo. They would have refused me months ago if it was a problem. Why I just returned from returns at Joe Fresh hahaha. My biggest issue with my returns is that I am so indecisive and insecure about what looks good. I then purchase, let is sit awhile, still can't decide....you get the picture. I have been caught in the short return cycle more times that I can count. I feel like I waste lots of my own time. So, you are not alone - there is a whole sisterhood of serial returners here anchie on "Serial Returners" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/serial-returners#post-1006491 Thu, 15 Aug 2013 17:53:05 +0000 anchie 1006491@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ My name is Anchie and I am serial returner. But I don't see anything wrong with that. I shop almost exclusivly online. And of course, without trying things on, you can not be sure if they will fit. Like IK, I consider online ordering same as taking items to dressing room. If they don't fit or if I don't like it in person, back t goes. No question and no guilt. And I had never problem with that. But I shop from hadfull of tested retailers with easy and free shipping and return policy. ironkurtin on "Serial Returners" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/serial-returners#post-1006464 Thu, 15 Aug 2013 17:14:51 +0000 ironkurtin 1006464@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Stores expect returns.  It's part of the business model.  if you are acting like an ordinary consumer and treating online orders like you would a dressing room - I personally always take at least 3 sizes of jeans in to try! - then that's all within the realm of normal. As Echo says, stores track your purchases routinely.  It's not new or a big deal.  It's how they learn to better serve their customers and identify fraud. cciele on "Serial Returners" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/serial-returners#post-1006459 Thu, 15 Aug 2013 17:06:15 +0000 cciele 1006459@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Definitely a serial returner here, mostly the multiple size thing. Sometimes I wonder when a store is going to notice! Anyhow if I get banned, there are plenty of other stores to shop at... modgrl on "Serial Returners" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/serial-returners#post-1006440 Thu, 15 Aug 2013 16:44:19 +0000 modgrl 1006440@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I know how it is... often stores do not carry my hard to find shoe and clothing sizes, so ordering online is the only way to get stuff. And invariably, some things are not going to work out. My husband does get mad a bit... his main qualm is the environmental impact of the packaging and fuel to deliver and return the items. I understand and share his concerns. I just do not know a way around them at this moment. kkards on "Serial Returners" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/serial-returners#post-1006435 Thu, 15 Aug 2013 16:40:03 +0000 kkards 1006435@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ . i think this is primarly b&m stores, as on line stores expect a significant amount of returns. i will no longer shop at express becuase they require a swipe of my drivers license to return. that means that they have all kinds of info on me!(and stuff not related to my credit card). sorry, no thanks. there are plenty of places that will allow me to return with just my orignal recpt and credit card. Janet on "Serial Returners" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/serial-returners#post-1006386 Thu, 15 Aug 2013 15:04:02 +0000 Janet 1006386@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ You know, I'm guilty of returning an item weeks, maybe even months later because it was an experiment and went unworn and is in pristine condition with the tags still on. I've done this with Nordstrom and no one has ever given me a hard time for it. Believe me, I spend enough money with them that my occasional guilt pang is assuaged. Suz on "Serial Returners" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/serial-returners#post-1006381 Thu, 15 Aug 2013 15:00:20 +0000 Suz 1006381@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ As a Canadian, I am in the same boat as Gaylene and Kim. Few retailers offer free returns and shipping. I do shop online, but am usually careful to pick those retailers that offer free shipping and returns, or that will allow me to return in store within 60 days. (I can usually make it to the city to a brick and mortar store within that time frame.)  I have to return a bunch of stuff to J. Crew and I will be paying the shipping and insurance on that. Big sad face.  I thought I knew my sizes in all items but I was wrong.  I would love to have the freedom to buy and then return that our American Fabbers enjoy. Or at least to have a lot of brick and mortar options. As I have neither, I have to develop a shopping strategy.  And even without all these advantages, to the extent I can be, I'm a serial returner myself (to places like Gap and Banana Republic, Zara, Club Monaco.) Gabrielle on "Serial Returners" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/serial-returners#post-1006373 Thu, 15 Aug 2013 14:49:46 +0000 Gabrielle 1006373@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ This has been especially enlightening.  It never even occurred to me that people would return used clothes and then retailers would try to sell those clothes as new.  I definitely do not fit into that category and likely never will.   Thanks for your responses.   Gaylene on "Serial Returners" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/serial-returners#post-1006340 Thu, 15 Aug 2013 14:23:12 +0000 Gaylene 1006340@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I think any online retailer who offers free shipping and free returns ought to expect a significant number of returns as part of their retail strategy. If a company doesn't want to deal with that kind of shopping pattern, then it shouldn't implicitly encourage it. But I'd also venture to say this type of retail strategy is much more common in the US than in many other countries. While many of us who live outside the US dream of having this kind of shopping available to us, I've also noticed a downside when I order online from some of these retailers (paying quite a bit, I might add, for shipping--rare to find shipping freebies in Canada!) I'm often unpleasantly surprised by the amount of usage on a supposedly "new" item. Not everyone is as careful as you in keeping the item in pristine condition. Shipping something back for a exchange is costly, so, if I want the item, I often just repair, or launder it. In a B&M store, the item is usually tried on once or twice by a person,  but I have the feeling that some online items are subjected to multiple try-ons over a period of time before they are returned--and then the process starts again with the next customer. I can see why some companies don't want to absorb that wear and tear on their stock as a cost of doing business. I don't think that companies who offer free shipping and returns should penalize customers who return items promptly and in good condition. I don't have as much sympathy, however, for customers who abuse this practice by holding on to items for weeks before making a decision and who are not careful about how they handle the items. Maybe tracking those serial returners can ensure that companies will continue to make online shopping pleasant and easy for the rest of us. Kim on "Serial Returners" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/serial-returners#post-1006330 Thu, 15 Aug 2013 14:12:42 +0000 Kim 1006330@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I don't shop online much because I'm Canadian and it' the rare retailer that offers free shipping either way, so it's at least $10.00 to try on an item. I too, however, am a serial returner, even with brick and mortor purchases.  I take an item home and try it with my existing wardrobe for proportions, mix and match capabilities, etc, and I am picky.  If I don't like one thing about the article it goes back, in pristine condition with tags on. I think the persons they may be addressing are the unscrupulous who have no qualms about buying an expensive dress for a special event, then returning it when they have finished using it for the event.  If that's the case, I understand.  If they are targeting someone like me, then they are going to lose money because I don't buy from stores that don't have good return policies.  I always ask what they are, and I always follow their rules so I don't feel the least bit bad, after all THEY offer it to me to get my business.  If I choose to take full advantage of THEIR policy I have no hesitation.  I do this especially with shoes since a walk around the store will rarely tell me what I need to know from my fussy feet and shoes are an expensive purchase usually.  I don't bring home "just for fun" because that's two trips to the store to add to the cost of the item, but if it turns out not to be perfect in my real life back it goes. I wonder how a serial returner would be tracked, and exactly what they would do to me once I hit their quota?  "Sorry maam, you can't return that item, you've reached you annual limit..." Yes, I might get stuck with that one item but that's the last thing I'd be buying from that store....There are plenty of other fish in the sea who want my money! LOL Echo on "Serial Returners" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/serial-returners#post-1006323 Thu, 15 Aug 2013 14:08:24 +0000 Echo 1006323@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Although it may have made the news recently, many large retailers have been tracking this forever. This really isn't anything new. Customers have been banned from certain retailers for returning too much, or for their purchases raising flags about being a re-seller, etc. The biggest harm to a retailer, IMO, is when an item is past season and is then returned. The retailer doesn't stand a chance of selling that item for what they originally sold it for because it has spent months in someone else's closet. Receipt and unworn or not, that is taking advantage, IMO. But ordering multiple sizes and returning what doesn't fit immediately? That is what MANY people do, and most stores have no issue with it. Indeed, they can tell by the order most of the time that half of it will be returned. I often do this with Zappos, and they are fabulous. It is rare that an online retailer will take issue with this, as they know the person behind the computer is not trying things on prior to purchase. Thistle on "Serial Returners" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/serial-returners#post-1006322 Thu, 15 Aug 2013 14:07:50 +0000 Thistle 1006322@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ On a side note, on line retailers really have no leg to stand on for return, IMHO, if they don;t bother to include measurements, or if the measurements are wrong. Amazon is notorious for this, but they accept returns without issue. Thistle on "Serial Returners" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/serial-returners#post-1006321 Thu, 15 Aug 2013 14:05:51 +0000 Thistle 1006321@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I am also a seriel returner.  Many of the places I buy from simply don't have a store in my area . Like you, I return the items pristine, with tags, and usually worn for a few minutes as I try them on. If they want my business, they will continue to sell to me regardless of my returns.  Or, they will put in a brick and morter store. I consider it a cost of doing business for an online retailer. It is almost impossible to know if something fits and flatters without trying it on, especially for stores that don't have on line reviews. I refuse to keep items I don't like because it inconviences them.  If that is their policy, they need a brick and morter store.  And even then, most B&M stores accept returns. Amazon, Zappos, and Nordstrom seem to be able to make it work. And I shop them as my primary sources for a reason. Gabrielle on "Serial Returners" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/serial-returners#post-1006313 Thu, 15 Aug 2013 13:57:14 +0000 Gabrielle 1006313@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ One last thing.  I lost a lot of weight a couple of years ago.  I found that I was still buying clothes that fit my old body and had a huge problem making purchases that actually fit my new body because the two images did not jive.I did a lot of returning during that period as well.  To be hones, it too nearly one full year for me to start purchasing the correct size of clothing.   Thanks for listening.    Gabrielle on "Serial Returners" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/serial-returners#post-1006310 Thu, 15 Aug 2013 13:54:30 +0000 Gabrielle 1006310@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I am a serial returner.  I shop on the internet and I often purchase the same item in multiple sizes.  So, of course, the sizes that do not fit are going back.   I also like the comfort of trying things on in my own home and the convenience of mixing and matching items with my existing wardrobe.  I don't feel pressure and I can really "feel" if it will work or not.  If it doesn't work, it goes back as well.   Finally, if I know I can return an item, I am more willing to experiment with new styles and new colors.  But again, if they don't work, back they go.   I have not qualms about this.  I always return the item unworn and with the tags on.  The items are pristine.   So now that retailers are tracking serial returners, what exactly does that mean to me?  I still don't see how I am hurting the retailer, but if I am, please help me understand.   Also, if you have suggestions for how one might stop being a serial returner, I am very willing to listen.  If this helps, I notice my two biggest serial returning events are July and December/January.  Thanks.