Returning new clothes after wearing them

[GonnaGetGoingReturns]

I had a disagreement yesterday with someone re this, they both said, they would return new clothes after wearing them, especially if it were e.g. event clothes, e.g. for a wedding etc.

One person said "everyone does this all the time". Stated that on fashion shoots, stylists would do this a lot. In that case I don't know if the stylists have an agreement with the clothes shop, to do this. E.g. in return for the label to be promoted in the media/magazine/instagram post.

I'd never do this, firstly it's immoral, secondly although retailers could absorb the costs (so this person said), it must have an effect on their overall profits, e.g. even a large multi national company it must affect their profits. Secondly, I'd worry about spilling wine or something down the item but also I wouldn't want to buy clothes which someone else had worn for the night (not taken home, tried on, decided you don't like it and then return).

I've even had a friend of mine joke to me when I'd bought a top, took it home, she was with me, I tried it on and then was about to take the label off before wearing it out and she said "oh aren't you taking that back then after you've worn it out?" And looked slightly surprised when I said, "no".

I just absorb and plan the costs of my clothes.

I think I must have come across as really moralistic, am I wrong or right or as one person said "there are bigger things in the world to worry about".

It’s theft, and pretty disgusting actually - I don’t want to buy something that has been sweated into thanks

Lots of people do it. Personally I think they're dicks but just focus on my own moral compass. I wouldn't do it, in my mind it's theft.

I've only ever taken back one item after I'd worn it, and that was because it was faulty (zip broke the first time it was unzipped)

Replaced (like for like) with no quibbling.

I think it's wrong to use and return.

It’s disgusting and something I’d never do.

No wonder the high street’s on its knees. What a disgraceful way to behave.

I don’t do this because I’m not an asshole.

Trust me, this was 2 close family members (one through marriage).

I think I sounded like a total judgmental, moralistic bitch, but I really don't agree with this!

In fact, one of them, about a year or so ago, when I was at their flat, showed me a dress she was planning to wear to a wedding and asked me "Should I take it back? I shouldn't should I?"

Me: "No, you shouldn't wear it and take it back".

Glad most others here have this view.

I read this exact thread a few months ago.

@User2145738790 - wasn't me!

This situation happened last night. And I wouldn't normally post this, but it caused a slight argument.

I know someone who point black refuses to buy/wear second hand stuff-but refuses to believe that this is a thing
she’ll buy something online/from a shop and wear it without washing it-as long as she’s paid full whack for it,then it’s ‘new’

ill cheerfully buy second hand-I always wash it first but to me,this is one and the same
I don’t want to wear something someone else has sweated into (hence I wash it to remove anything from someone else) but she just refuses to believe it-it’s brand spanking new-and in her head,nobody else has touched it with their fingertips,let alone worn and returned it

its grim and also theft

It’s fraud really. The kind of people who do this would be the first to start shouting about any perceived injustice that they suffered.

Lots of companies now put labels in obvious places (like the hem of a dress) which say ‘if removed this item can not be returned’ to stop this sort of thing.

I am going to be very honest here and people might judge me for it but the only time we’ve ever done this is when dh had been out of work due to mental health issues for 6 months and he had a job interview and no suit to wear (and none that would fit in local charity shops), so we ordered a suit we really couldn’t afford (literally on our arses financially, I’m disabled and unable to work and we also have a severely disabled child) and dh wore it and got the job… we then returned the suit. Still feel awful about it now to be honest but we desperately needed it and since then he’s put a lot back into the economy by working and buying new clothes (and keeping them)!

In general I think it’s a terrible thing to do and I’d never do it for a nigh out etc!

If he got the job then why return the suit? He was going to have a wage coming in and could wear it for work.

I would never do this as it's so wrong and very unfair on the retailers who are struggling to survive anyway let alone having to deal with this kind of fraud.

I don't understand what they do - do they just return the item as it is, unwashed after a night out?? Or do they wash it first? Neither of which would be returning it in it's original state so what do they give as a reason for return? Blatantly lie and say they 'didn't like it' or it didn't fit presumably despite it stinking of perfume/sweat and covered in last night's kebab.

I spent over a hundred quid on clothes for dd that arrived yesterday. I let her pick and order them herself, she went to try them on last night and took ALL tags off despite every single item being far too big and exposing.

So now I can't send them back and honestly I can't see anyone in their right mind buying them if I put them on the sales page.

These are clothes that have only been tried on for two bloody minutes.

Because we had to go into our overdraft to buy it and it was another 6 weeks before he started the job so we had to bridge the gap until we could afford some new work clothes for him. At that time we were literally living hand to mouth on benefits.

Stylists doing this on a shoot where a model is wearing the item for 20 minutes while standing still is completely different to wearing an item of clothing down the pub/ club all night and sweating in it/having drinks spilt on it etc.

I actually can't believe this is a "thing".

I've brought two nice dresses lately, both have really obvious tag on the front / side that you have to remove before wearing out else you'll look like an idiot. No returns once the tag is removed. Shops are getting smarter about thiz

I have to confess I have done this once....I got asked for an interview last minute; given 2 days notice and had to wear a jacket and I didn't have one.
Also, job I was going for wouldn't require wearing a jacket either so it was solely for the interview.
Bought one from Tesco, went for the interview and got offered job there and then so I returned jacket same day....I'd worn it for less than and hour.

Well she's right. Loads of people do it. I can't say I care about the morals or costs of giant clothing business all that much. I'm just in awe of people who can do this without damaging the item, sweating it out or ripping off all tags - or can you take the tags off?

I've only ever done this once, I wore a new bra and after about 20 minutes I realised it dug under my armpits, so I returned it. I'm not in the UK and returning things here can be a real bugger. I've learnt to leave labels on for a bit until I'm 100% sure it's for me.

I've received clothes ordered online that have clearly been worn and returned, it's really annoying and pretty unpleasant. As someone up thread said, no one wants to buy clothes that have been sweated in by someone else.

Before lockdown I was looking for a dress online to wear to a wedding.

A lot of them came with a plastic tag attached to the outside of the dress with a label saying that if it was removed the dress couldn't be returned.

It's fairly bulky so not something you could hide. I think it's a brilliant idea and I'm surprised more online dress sites don't do the same.

It would certainly stop people wearing and returning things.

I wouldn't return an item I'd worn/intended to keep.

Ex-friend did though. all the time. Once though, she bought an item to wear for a party. Whilst at said party, got a cigarette burn in it and returned it to the store. The store-worker argued that she wouldn't provide a refund because it was clearly a cigarette burn but ex-friend argued it was like that when she received it. She argued for about half an hour, like a dog with a bone, but they caved and gave her a refund. I was seething whilst she waltzed out the store with her money, gloating all the way only to find that she had a penalty parking ticket as she hadn't wanted to pay to park in the council car park! She tried to wiggle out of paying the £25 fine by producing an old ticket (earlier date) whereby she'd tried to change the date by pen; when the council worker suggested calling the Police and mentioned fraud, she stumped up the £25. Item of clothing cost less than this. HAHA...karma.

Fashion shoots are an entirely different thing because they use samples that aren’t designed for sale, they’re designed for shoots – the same sample gets passed around all the magazines and sites and by the end of a season (spring/summer, autumn/winter) they look a right state with pulled threads, foundation marks, missing sequins, etc.