Creased item and M+S store assistant

[Poddingtonp]

Happy to learn from a mistake , but I just returned an item to M+S.
The shop assistant asked me if there was anything wrong with it and I said no, just looked different to mannequin.
She then said, quite abruptly “you might want to fold it up next time, it’s creased”. I just awkwardly smiled and she didn’t say another word to me, even when I said thank you as I left.
I know it’s petty, but isn’t it pretty hard to not crease certain clothes you try then return? I didn’t want to risk ironing something I’m going to take back.
I felt a bit silly tbh .

She was rude. But Im not having her day am I?

I dare say the 'report her' brigade will be long behind me to demand you make sure she loses her job, income, pension, home, blah blah because she deserves it.

She was abrupt & rude, but I think it's good manners to fold something you are going to return as neatly as you can to minimise creasing. I certainly wouldn't iron something I was returning.

She was rude. When I worked in a shop I didn't really care if things were folded as they'd need to be redone or hung up anyway.

She was probably trying to insinuate that you had worn it out and then returned it. I've been accused of that because the tag fell off.

That's a bit rude considering most shop assistants are incapable of folding clothes when you buy them.

As long as the item was unworn and still had tags on I can't see the problem.

I remember buying a dress from Monsoon a few years ago for a wedding. I didn't end up wearing it so took it back a week later for a refund.
The shop assistant took about 10 minutes checking every inch of it, tags, lining, and even sniffed it thoroughly before processing my refund.

I went bright red and looked guilty even though it was brand new and unworn.

M&S person. Well you probably should have hung it and folded it just before taking it back. The Moñsoon person would have got the sharp end of my tongue.

If I'm trying on a new item in order to decide whether I'm going to keep it or not, I make every effort to ensure that it is returned in the same condition as when I bought it. That means making sure I don't get make up (or any other marks) on it, leaving all the tags attached and when putting it in a bag to return it I fold it very carefully so that it is as uncreased as possible. Isn't that common sense and what we all do?
She was right to say that you should have folded it. It will not be able to be put back on sale without ironing it, whereas it could have been put back on sale as soon as it had been verified as clean and 'as new'.
She was stating a fact.

I took a pair of jeans back to M&S once because the trouser legs were different lengths and I hadn't noticed until I wore them.

We had a 'long' discussion where the assistant kept repeating I couldn't return them as they had been worn and washed whereas I kept saying yes I had but they are faulty just look at the legs.

I don't think she was rude at all. Why didn't you fold the item? Did you just crumple it into a plastic bag? 🤦‍♀️

If it is very creased then you're lucky it's been returned. It didn't have a fault, so was a goodwill refund, and the criteria for that are normally 'an unworn item in resalable condition'. When I've worked in retail, we have occasionally refused a no fault refund because the items have clearly been stored in a crumpled ball and look atrocious, or have been in a smokers house or somewhere with strong cooking smells, which means that the item has to be put in a stockroom and aired/ streamed. That's not resalable condition to me.

WhoAte why did you wash them though if the legs were different lengths?

I did return a dress before after it shrank in the 30° wash. The assistant was really snotty and said what was someone your size doing buying a dress that size? It fit just fine when I bought it.

M&S woman was possibly rude but equally hopefully you'd take her advice in future.

I used to get dh work shoes from m&s. They used to last about a year before needing replacement. Then one pair he had after about 6 weeks developed a really bad peel on the leather, I was resigned to having to buy another pair anyway but thought I'd take them with me and show them. I didn't have receipt. The woman at the desk said to me, there is no way he's only worn those for 6 weeks! I said I can assure you he has. She really looked down her nose at me and refused to help in any way, I had just had a baby and my emotions were all over the place and I left feeling so embarrassed, needless to say I didn't buy a replacement pair from them.

Saying “you might want to fold it up next time, it’s creased” is very mildly expressed isn't it? She didn't even use the word "should", instead it was phrased as a suggestion for the future.
I don't think that was rude. I know you said that she said it 'quite abruptly' but I can't think of many different ways of saying those words. You just didn't like being told that you should have folded the item.

I think you should’ve folded it up but for her to remark on it!! Very rude

#Nobodycares

It depends! If you just chucked it in the bag then YABU. If you had folded it as best you could then YANBU.

I imagine Monsoon have a lot of people trying it on with occasion dresses but it doesn’t excuse the assistant’s behaviour.

JeNe I wore them and kept looking at them thinking they weren't sitting right but couldn't understand why. Put them in the washer and when I ironed them I realised the legs weren't the same length hence them not sitting right on my shoes.

It would help customers if M&S provided bags. As it is, you have to stuff - sometimes a large purchase like a coat - into any bag you happen to have on you. Inevitably it creases.

If it was ordered on line then I'd fold it up along the same crease lines it had when they sent it to me. And tell them so if they dared to complain.

Not that the items on the shop floors are perfect. I know some of it is down customers but when I worked in a similar store we spent most of our time making sure that things were folded or hung neatly - something they don't seem to do in our local store.

Thing is, maybe you should have tried it on before you bought it? Returning something because " just looked different to mannequin" is not really a good enough reason - under law - to return something.

Of course it's going to look different on you - mannequins are not in any way realistically modelled female figures - quite the contrary in fact.

So M&S accepted your return purely for good will. And (Saturday job in retail all through my degree studies) the number of women who'd bring back a dress they'd obviously worn was unbelievable. I got quite cynical after a while - particularly the demanding service types.

Don’t things still get creased when folded anyway?

YABU. Really rude and unprofessional. I'd contact them and explain what happened. I wouldn't name the branch or otherwise identify an individual, just say that it's not very good for their image.

I did return a dress before after it shrank in the 30° wash. The assistant was really snotty and said what was someone your size doing buying a dress that size? It fit just fine when I bought it.
JeNe I hope you told them what you thought of them!

It was already pretty creased when I tried it on, and I take reusable bags everywhere I would have placed it in the bag originally but I wouldn’t ‘stuff it in’ on either occasion and yes I did fold it . I dunno, it’s probably my fault I agree but normally m+s staff are very friendly and helpful and i has bought other items which I had kept which would be obvious on the receipt.