It's okay to wear clothes then return them for a refund

[KeyLimePies]

Kay Burley on Sky News mentioned an article in one of the papers covering what happens to clothing purchased online and returned (not sure which retailer). Apparently they go to a big warehouse to be sorted and are given a 'sniff' test - to which KB said "c'mon, we've all done it"

AIBU to think that the majority of people don't order clothes, wear them, then return items in a smelly state for a refund? I have never done this unless the item has developed a fault after wearing it - and I've definitely never returned clothing smelling of sweat or anything else.

YABU - it's perfectly okay to wear something then return it for a refund, even if it's not faulty - it's one of life's perks.

YANBU - the majority of people don't do a KB!

It's disgusting. I hate people who do nasty shit like this. it makes everything more expensive for everyone else and causes a great deal of waste.

@Dammitthisisshit

Eeew Yuck. Would never do this and it puts me off buying online as much as I do!

I worked with someone who used to return clothes to high street stores after wearing. She was proudly telling us how she’d just worn something at the weekend and had just spent her lunch hour returning it. We told her we thought she was disgusting, we didn’t want to pay our hard earned cash for second hand clothes! She had the decency to look embarrassed so I’d like to hope she didn’t do it again.

I'm pretty sure every wannabe Instagram fashion influencer does this. The number of clothing hauls' they showcase almost weekly and outfits they post - they would run out of space very quickly in their homes if they kept it all.

I remember teenagers doing it in the 90s but surprised adults do it. Bit embarrassing and gross

I have never ordered clothes and worn them and then sent them back, that's gross and just morally wrong IMO.. fair enough to order them and try it on and then send it back but not wear it out! (I understand a lot of influencers do this type of thing)

I once bought a supposedly new jacket and found a used tissue in the pocket

No I’ve never done this because I’m not a skank.

Yes people do this. But I've less of a problem with their morals than those of the huge corporations who know people do this, but still think nothing of fobbing the clothes off onto new buyers. My contract is with the company I buy from. So if my new dress smells of sweat, that's on them, and it's up to them to have made sure it didn't.

I’ve done it
Not proud but not desperately ashamed either all these years later
I wanted a hat for my brothers wedding, could not afford one , saw something that was perfect in accessorise and bought it , kept tags on but hidden in my hair
Took it back and got my money back
At the time I thought of it almost like I was hiring it ( for free) understood it was not cool but also it was returned in perfect condition having been on my head for ceremony and photos only and then put somewhere clean so I could return it and get my money back and it could have been resold , I was clean , it was returned clean . I saw it as a victimless crime. Have not done it since and would not ever tell my kids I did that as my daughter would be horrified at me
Not proud, it was a youthful thing like smoking and shoplifting ( yep I’ve done that too ;(... but that’s another thread

Absolutely horrified at m and s staff snifffing crutches and armpits they are absolutely not paid enough

If you order from Asos there is now a tag attached to the garment (in a place where you wouldn't walk down the street with it still attached) that says 'if this tag is removed you can't return for a refund' or something to that effect.

I do not do this and would make my own clothes if I thought other people did this.

@RhythmOfTheLight

If you order from Asos there is now a tag attached to the garment (in a place where you wouldn't walk down the street with it still attached) that says 'if this tag is removed you can't return for a refund' or something to that effect.

Good idea. Stop the cfs.

@KeyLimePies

I've no vendetta against Kay Burley at all - I've rarely seen her on TV and don't know much about her. I just happened to have Sky News on this morning and she made the comment that "we've all done it". I thought she was talking about returning clothes that might smell less than fresh.

I do feel sorry for retail staff who are tasked with carrying out 'sniff' tests, by the sounds of it a lot of people do take the piss (hopefully they don't return items smelling of it though)

Did you notice she talked about returning clothes, then she pointed out a member of staff sniffing the clothes and said we've all done it. I think it was clear she was talking about the sniffing.

@SoupDragon

My opinion is that only twats do this.

Absolutely.

And Kay Burley doing this is entirely believable.

I love how everyone knows someone else who does this but pretty much no one admits to ever doing it themselves. Funny that. 😂

Not clothes but when I worked in a supermarket, I was on self service and somebody returned two EMPTY cans of deodorant spray because they didn't like them. The person on kiosk accepted the return.

@MistyGreenAndBlue - I do see your point but I can promise you I have never worn a dress or an outfit and then returned it - I do know a person who has - believe me or not as you will

I worked somewhere years ago when staff used to "wear " something on shop floor then go home with it.

I was so shocked- just wouldn't occur to me

Many shops won't let you return things if the tags have been taken off so I am sceptical that loads of people do this.

@MistyGreenAndBlue

I love how everyone knows someone else who does this but pretty much no one admits to ever doing it themselves. Funny that. 😂

Well if you had done it you wouldn’t be likely to post on here when everyone is saying it’s gross and wrong are you? Although as it goes a poster has said they’ve done it once before so obviously some people do it.

Although I’m now thinking of the prom episode of Derry Girls where Michelle spends the whole time panicking about people sweating into the dresses she’s bought off her mum’s card.

@milveycrohn

I never take the tags off until I am satisfied that the item is suitable, etc. I would never return anything worn (apart from trying it on)

I seem to recall that one large retailer started putting very large tags slap bang in the middle of the front of their garments to discourage those who think they've just hired it for an event.

I did it once because I was desperate. It was my first week in a new job after a period of unemployment and I managed to tear the shirt I was wearing. I went out at lunchtime to buy a jumper; I kept the label on and took it back. I felt bad, but there was no way I could afford to keep new clothes I didn’t even want when I was desperately waiting for my first pay packet.

I’d never do it just because I fancied something new to wear but didn’t fancy paying for it.

@Orgasmagorical

Many years ago I worked with a woman who would buy a fancy jacket with her credit card at the end of the week, wear it at the weekend then take it back on the Monday getting cash for the refund. It was how she funded her week.

Before the days of cash machines if we needed cash on Saturday we would buy something in the morning at M & S using a cheque then return it in the afternoon for a cash refund, but we never wore or used what we'd bought.

@TooMuchPaper

Yes people do it. Hence why clothes are sniffed by the staff when being checked. I've seen Marks and Spencers staff sniff the crotch of trousers and the armpits of t-shirts.

There is absolutely no way staff are standing sniffing crotch and arm pits. Couldn't pay me enough money todo this 🤮