Will Nordstroms punish me for a lot of returns? - YouLookFab Forum

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Will Nordstroms punish me for a lot of returns?

KikiG

Veteran

I shopped the NAS a little this year (first time!), and ended up with a pair of Wit and Wisdom side zip pants, a Halogen cardigan, and a Vince Camuto duster, and they are all big winners for me. But there were several other things that didn't work and back they went. And I just ordered 5 pair of black booties to try, hoping 1 pair will be keepers, they are all acceptable to my eyes, it is my feet that have to be pleased now.

But, is this ok? Or will they ban me at some point because I order things to try and return more than I keep? I do not live in a state with a B&M Nordies, and I do have their charge card that I'm using, if that makes a difference. The bliss of free shipping, free returns, and for me, no sales tax makes Nordstroms very, very attractive when I'm willing to pay full price.

Shopping

20 replies

Latest reply was from Kathie

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I don’t think so! My local Nordstrom is quite small, so I place a lot of online orders and do a lot of in store returns. No one has ever complained! I think they expect a fair number of returns.

kkards

Veteran

i hope not...or i would be in big trouble....

Suz

(website)

Veteran

They're fine with it.

JAileen

Veteran

OMG - I hope not - I have all of this to return. Most of it didn’t come with any packing slips, so I’ve had to make note of all the order numbers. Now I’m looking for a giant tote bag.

ETA: Sierra Trading Post did drop me as a customer for having a return rate over 60 percent.

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DonnaF

Veteran

My return rate is probably 80 or 90 percent, particularly because I end up returning a lot of shoes and I often order the same garment in two sizes -- and have done this for several years. I have brick'n'mortar stores nearby but the rarely have what I order. So far, no problem.

bj1111

Veteran

god no! otherwise, i'd be permanently banned and not allowed into the b&m stores.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Not at all. Return to your hearts content and make discerning wardrobe decisions.

mtnsofthemoon

Veteran

I would certainly hope stores, such as Nord realize this is part of the way THEY run their business. To elaborate, I have a small to medium size Nord in town but they NEVER carry the very stylish items I prefer and I am forced to order online. Additionally, they offer at least double the options online vs in store, which necessitates customers having to order online and guess if the size or item will be to their liking. I would have a major problem if they gave me a problem about returns because as you can tell I am extremely frustrated at the direction retail is taking with all the online shopping. I am old school and prefer to feel, touch and try items on in-store and not have to order online, wait for the item to arrive and then determine it doesn't work for some reason and then have to shlep over to my local store to return it. Sigh, sorry if I just vomited all my frustration onto your post

Anonymous

Well, if you punish you, they are going to punish me. But truthfully I have been shopping at Nordstorms for years and have never suffered from serial returns. It is part of business.

featherwitch

I think as long as you return them in re-sellable condition, do it in a reasonable period of time, and do it in good faith, you'll be fine. I've never had a return questioned at Nordstrom following this philosophy.

Aquamarine

Veteran

I’ve never had a problem and I return *a lot.*

Roberta

Veteran

My Nordstrom is quite good-sized, but it will never have the selection of the online store. They devote a good section of the store to "pick up" items and have superior customer service at the return counter. I'm sure they get a fair percentage of business from people who do a little browsing after they return things - I know that I always make the rounds of the store after I am done. I wonder sometimes if they make a note in a patron record if someone repeatedly returns things without tags or in disrepair . . . but probably not. Their reputation is based on their cheerful and efficient return service.

Gigi

Veteran

I'm another one who would be in big trouble if lots of returns were cause for banning me from Nordstrom! I return way more than I keep. Like mtnsofthemoon, I figure if they're upset, it's their own fault due to the way they do business. I usually wear petites' sizes, and there is not a big selection in-store. Even when I try to wear misses' sizes, my size is usually sold out. So if they don't like all the returns I'm doing, then they need to carry more of my size in-store or else start putting individual garment measurements online so that I have a better chance at ordering appropriate items.

Thistle

Veteran

They haven't canceled my card yet

I have to order almost everything as my store carries none of it. I figure it's like a dressing room. I might keep 10-20% of what I take in with me. On a good day.

I do wish there was a better way to know what will work and what won't.

Anonymous

I think they anticipate that the inventory shifting is a wider window for them than the duration of the sale.

The "shutdown" formula must be pretty complex because I know someone who's been locked out of Amazon, but even though I return so much of what I buy, I haven't. Well, YET, maybe.

Anonymous

IF we are going to compare this to a dressing room, I buy next to nothing when I do try-ons in a store. Poor lighting. Tiny space. Bad mirrors. Everything makes me want to abandon hope and leave the store .... always empty handed.

Ginger

Veteran

Locked out of Amazon? Wow.

ETA: Yep, it's true. There are a bunch of news stories from May. It makes sense since it's pretty easy to scam, but it's unsettling that the criteria is not defined and in at some cases banning is unilateral, without warning.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/b.....1526981401

https://slate.com/business/201.....turns.html

avicennia

Veteran

I share your concern about returns to online retailers, KiKiG. I believe I was punished by a major online retailer earlier this year for returning too much — about 60%. They delayed processing my refund for over 2 months despite having sent me emails saying they’d received my returns. They then refused to refund my credit card and insisted on refunding me through PayPal, despite the fact I had made the purchase with a credit card in the first place. I finally had to turn the matter over to my bank. I’ve been very leary of making online purchases since then. However, I would trust Nordstrom’s based on the experiences of the YLF members.

avicennia

Veteran

PS I believe I got myself into trouble by ordering shoes from European brands that were unknown to me — making it more likely the shoes wouldn’t fit and I’d have to return them.

Kathie

Veteran

I once asked about this, and one of the SAs admitted to me that, at least for in-store returns, that’s a part of the business model. People stop by to return items, and then end up buying something else.