Buying and returning

[Liberty Belle]

I was intrigued by another poster who said they often buy things, only to get them home and decide they don't want them and so take them back to the store.

I've maybe returned 10 things (and that's a stretch) my whole 20 years as an adult.

So, do you buy and return or is this not commonplace for you, either?

 

[helenabear]

Honestly the only things I have returned have been defective. I have no idea how many things that would be, but not a lot.

 

[mickeyboat]

I generally also only return things that are defective, and often feel guilty about doing so. Even it we have a duplicate of something we received as a gift, I will keep it unitl I can use it or pass it along to someone else.

Denae

 

[mom2boys]

I buy & return. Currently we are looking at flooring for the kitchen. For the past two months, I have been bringing home tiles and placing them on the floor to see how they look. We have to consider the color of the cabinets, the countertop and the adjacent hardwood floor. The lighting in the stores is totally different than the lighting in the stores.
If I get something home and decide it's not what we want/need, I take it back. I currently have no ironing board - so sad I know. My old one broke, so I pitched it. I bought a new one & it was so cheesy it barely stood up. I returned it & haven't found one I can live with for another 15 yrs - the age of my last one.
We work too hard for our money & I am too indecisive not to return things.

 

[Bob Slydell]

DW does it all the time. She'll buy a bunch of different outfits and then get home and figure out which ones she really wants and return the rest.

That, and she buys a lot of clothes for our oldest son and they often don't fit him right, since he's between sizes right now (in between a 5 and 6 slim)

 

[Christine]

I have done a lot of "returning" in the past few years and I blame my kids!!

Mostly everything I return is clothing. I am often out shopping for my kids and they have little patience when I need to pick up a pair of pants or something. I wil usually buy what I think will fit and look good. Sometimes it works, often times not and there I am returning all the clothes I bought.

My son who is 11 absolutely HATES shopping now. When he needs something I will go out without him and do my best to pick out something that fits. I often have to return a lot of stuff just because it doesn't fit right.

As for other stuff like appliances or household items, I only make a return if it is defective.

 

[katerkat]

I didn't before the boy. Now, well... Take Victoria Secret's Semi-Annual Sale - there were two dressing rooms, a line ten deep for them, and a toddler nearing naptime. So I asked about their return policy, they said it was no problem, I bought six bras I thought would work, took them home, tried them on, and returned the two that didn't work later that evening. Much easier than waiting to get into a dressing room, especially since I knew we were coming back that evening. (Romantic date with husband - movie and bra returns!)

I also used to buy Russ's clothes ahead of time. Then I learned that he does not fit into appropriate sizes for his age, so I had to return things that were the wrong size for the wrong season. Hopefully that will get better as he gets bigger.

 

[Beth76]

I do this all the time and am leaving in a few minutes to take some things back to Target. It's usually just clothing. Sometimes I might not have time to try something on and it doesn't work. Or I'll get it home and find out that it doesn't really go with anything I have. Or I go to a different store and find something I like better. I always leave tags on all clothing and keep the reciepts until I've worn it.

 

[apirateslifeforme]

I'm not a returner at all. Only once have I ever returned something. I always try things on in the store, and if it doesn't fit correctly or I'm just not sure about it, back on the rack it goes. When I'm not sure, I wait a week and if I can't stop thinking about it, I go back and buy it then.

 

[lulugirl]

I don't return much. I hate to shop and I'm really just too lazy to return anything.

 

[NMAmy]

I also return a lot of clothing. Just a few months ago, I tried on a pair of jeans that actually fit--no small feat. So, I grabbed another couple of pairs that were the same size and brand--just a different wash. And neither of the other pairs fit. One was too small, one was huge. So, yeah, I took 'em back. This happens to me all the time--you'd think I'd know better.

I also will take buy identical items in different sizes if the lines for the fitting rooms are too long or I'm in a hurry and then return what doesn't fit.

 

[summerrluvv]

I generally also only return things that are defective, and often feel guilty about doing so. Even it we have a duplicate of something we received as a gift, I will keep it unitl I can use it or pass it along to someone else.

Denae

Why would you feel guilty returning something that was defective?

 

[thewishfire]

I hate returning things.. in fact, I don't think I ever have! The only time I made a return was for my aunt... and I didn't even like doing that.

 

[disykat]

I rarely return things, but have on occasion. It's usually because it doesn't fit or is defective in some way though - not just because I changed my mind.

I remember trying on a Prom dress and finding a stain. It had obviously been worn and returned. It was a real turn off and plays into my feelings about making returns. The fact that my mother would be horrified if she knew I ever returned anything plays in as well.

 

[okeydokey]

When I was shopping for DD's First Communion dress last year, a woman was grabbing one of every dress in the size for her daughter. She planned on bringing them home for her daughter to try on and then returning all but one. She said her daughter hated to shop. They didn't have lots of dresses, so this didn't leave a whole lot on the rack for the rest of the customers. I pointed out to her the sign that said the first communion dressed were non-returnable, and she put them all back. Imagine having to buy 8 dresses at about 50 a pop and then find out she had to keep them all! Lucky for us, one of the ones she put back, the only one in that size, was the perfect one for my own DD.

 

[CEDmom]

I have 4 bags of stuff in my car that has to be returned to various stores. In a few cases I didn't have time to try it on. The other things didn't end up going with what I had at home or I had a change of heart.

I don't however return anything after I've worn or used it unless it's defective.

 

[cats7494]

I rarely return stuff...usually only if it is defective. Or if I got something as a gift that I already have. Happened a lot when I had my baby girl. (Which leads to another issue of why people never follow a baby or wedding registry! )
My mom does it all the time...she will buy a bunch of clothes and return the ones she did not like once she got home. It drives my dad crazy..I find it to be rather funny to be honest.

 

[jonestavern]

I have no qualms about returning things, especially if they are defective. After all, you pay for a working product or clothing in good condition.

What really burns me is how you cannot return electronics if they don't meet your needs. For instance, despite the blurbs on the sides of the cartons & doing research, the phones will not tell you how long the page/finder will buzz.
10+ years ago when we bought the Uniden, you couldn't get multiple handsets & I have men here that cannot seem to return the phone to the cradle
My bedside clock/radio, despite being a name brand & having paid a higher than average price for it, stinks. But sorry, you've opened the package, turned it on once, have all the receipts & packaging, but still can't return it.

I did work in retail for a number of years & all the stores I ever worked in had strict rules regarding the returning of formal wear, dressy pants suits, dresses, or gowns--no returns w/o the attached tags(& they were not attached in a discreet place! ), if there were stains, smelled of smoke. You'd be surprised at how many folks wear a dress for a big occassion & try to return a garment complete with make up smears, spill marks & reeking of cigarette smoke.
In another store I worked at we'd have people trying to return obviously used toys--I mean the toys were dirty or worn! Not because the toy was defective (that would've been no problem). One clerk had a customer tell her, about an glaringly used tree house, that her son was too big for it & she had the receipt! Problem was the receipt was over 6 months old!

Return if the product is unsatisfactory or lines at the dressing rooms too long.
Maybe benches or more dressing rooms will crop up

Jean

 

[shamrock30]

I return a fair amount of unworn clothing. I almost always try on everything at the store. However, I'm hard to fit and sometimes can't judge how something looks if the dressing room doesn't have a three way mirror.

I also buy clothing online, and because of sizing inconsistencies, a fair amount of that gets returned (unworn) as well.

 

[littleEinsteins4]

I do this all the time and am leaving in a few minutes to take some things back to Target. It's usually just clothing. Sometimes I might not have time to try something on and it doesn't work. Or I'll get it home and find out that it doesn't really go with anything I have. Or I go to a different store and find something I like better. I always leave tags on all clothing and keep the reciepts until I've worn it.

I do the same. not only with my clothes but also my kids clothes tags stay on everything until their worn or about to be worn I like to wash my little ones before she wears it. but I return about 2 times a month.

and I am so with the Bra lady I can not stay and try things on in stores anymore the girls get too antsy.