Can I return an M&S jacket and repurchase at the sale price?

[MarshaMarshaMarsha]

Bought a jacket from m&s on Tuesday (should be delivered tomorrow)… just seen it’s now gone in the sale at half price. Grrrr! Now out of stock in my size… but does anyone have any experience of taking it back to store for a refund, and buying it back at the sale price?! Bit cheeky possibly but very annoying!!

Did you buy it online? A lot of retailers use RFID now for inventory (M and S do) and so if you return it by their courier/RM it should go back in to stock as soon as they receive it back, and if you're on the ball with ordering you should see it go back in to stock, at the sale price, ready to order it again.
It should work exactly the same way if you returned it in store, as soon as it is scanned the RFID system should update the central stock inventory right away and you could order it online again whilst in store - and choose 'collect from store' and be able to take it as soon as the staff have packed it for sale - although depending on their store policy they might not do that immediately, might be an end of day thing.
M and S source their online stock from across their store network, direct from the shop floor, as well as hubs. It's why sometimes if you buy a whole load of stuff online, it arrives in different packages and on different days, and from different locations (they tell you this at the time of purchase).

I think that would only be if you didn't have proof of purchase. Pretty sure if OP returned the item with their receipt they'd get a refund for the amount they paid.

Weirdly, I returned something to M&S when I saw it had gone down in price. No issue. Reordered and collected the new version. However, my original purchase was just stuck out on the sale rack. I know it was mine - unusual size, tall, plus that dress was not sold in that store. So, you might get lucky…..

I've had the same thing happen with a similar retailer. I'd recommend contacting customer services by phone and asking if they can refund/give vouchers for the difference.

This is the way

Sometimes they will refund the difference if your purchase was within a certain timeframe - like 14 days. I would ask first.

My mum has done this on a few occaisions.

Yes do this. Take it back, get a refund to your card/account (card won't be immediate). When it's 'back in stock' order online or to collect, but give it a couple of days. That's absolutely fine. I'm not sure they'd do the entire transaction at the till though.

Or take it back, get refunded and play the idiot - oh wrong item, can I buy that back again please? Silly me! I have no shame sometimes.

If you’ve ordered it and it’s not even arrived I’d phone customer services and say it’s now in the sale! See what they say - they can only say no, but they might reimburse you I suppose?
phone them today as saying it’s not even arrived yet will maybe carry more weighting.

Yes but I’ve ordered the sale price online.

I would buy it now online in the sale and then return your original one (provided you'll be within the time limit to do so) and you'll get the full price back.

I do similar lots of times, but never buy it straight back, I tend to buy a second one at the reduced price and then take one back with the original receipt, so two separate transactions, different times, etc. I'd not have the nerve to ask for it straight back after handing it over for a refund, and I wouldn't risk the shop assistant being awkward and refusing to sell it on some spurious grounds of "policy" or it having to go back to the warehouse or some other made up reason not to give it back to me. I'd want two in my hands before I gave one back!

But saying that, It's exactly what I did once at MFI with an office chair that was one six week delivery delay, and in the meantime, they had a sale and it was half price. As I'd not even received it by the time they put it on sale, I went in and talked to the manager (before internet shopping) and he agreed it wasn't really fair, and said just tell the cashier when it was finally ready to be collected and they'd do the paperwork for a return and then re-sell it immediately to me at the lower price. I went back a couple of weeks later in trepidation of a row with the cashier and expecting to have to call the manager again, but in the event, it was all smiles and no problem at all - she even said she'd do the same herself!

Exactly

So you could only do it if they've actually got that size there for you to buy in the sale already

No they don’t, they give you what you paid

“just seen it’s now gone in the sale at half price. Grrrr! Now out of stock in my size…”

They can’t do this if you have the receipt showing the full price.

I don’t think this is embarrassing at all. Well, maybe for M&S who should have an automatic self price match like John Lewis does.

I mean, you bought it on Tuesday, fgs! And now it’s half off?!

Yes as pp said ask for vouchers.

Maybe embarrassing for a small amount but nearly £50 difference in under 48 hours it’s a bit annoying for the average customer.

Hence why asking if it was possible. If it’s against policy (as I suspected) then I wouldn’t complain… but it’s pretty poor customer service in my opinion.

They wont want to resell it to you straight away op.

I know, but annoying that it will go into warehouse and then it will get sold at half price to whoever is lucky enough to see it online at the right time.

Their online stock alerts seem very hit and miss.

Anyway not a big deal, I will decide if I like it enough to keep it when it gets here!

@Spybottrue but I’ve only seen this in the US.

People did this all the time when I did retail.

I even had someone do it with bespoke sofas - and fucking fair enough too, they saved over £5k...

Ask and feel no shame. Might say yes, might not, but it's got to be worth asking! Interestingly, it was always people who appeared skint or very well off who did it, rarely MC types. They were always the best for commission because they didn't like haggling or appearing stingy. Any serious spenders were determined to get a discount one way or another.

Embarrassment is pointless in the case of people you won't see again; and saving money isn't embarrassing anyway. Just don't kick off if it's against their policies.

They didn't used to do it, but after the sale they had a few weeks ago, I took back some trousers that were half price 2 days after I had paid full, and the assistant did let me return and buy at the reduced price, I think it depends who serves you.

I've had this happen before to me, and it is really annoying when it has gone on sale before you've even received it. In the past, I've emailed various customer service departments about it when it has happened, and found that they refund the difference, (without me having to refund/go anywhere) definitely worth a try.