Unshopping

[kiloran]

I'm not a great fan of shopping, and I get even less excitement from unshopping.

My wife had bought a load of clothes online, but 98% of it had to be returned. Not her size, odd colour, wrong fit,strange material, etc. So we went to the returns counter at M&S, it took around 30 minutes to process all the items. As we were leaving, she said "I'm glad we arrived when we did, look at the length of the returns queue now".
She did not link the length of the queue and the scowling faces with the large number of items she had returned.

For those who hold MKS shares, expect a big hit to the profits this month

--kiloran

[Lootman]

Is that MKS specific though? Isn't it more just in the nature of how people shop online these days? It seems that people just buy stuff online "on spec" (as my Dad used to say) and think nothing of returning it on a whim.

And buying clothes without trying them on, or cosmetics without smelling and feeling them, is intrinsically riskier.

That said, I just took back a heavy-duty 100 kg. de-humidifer that I bought in person, because it can't deal with the damp in my basement. Maybe I should have bought a new basement . . .

[kiloran]

Is that MKS specific though?

Far from it, sadly. Debenhams were hit just as hard on this particular unshopping trip. And no doubt we'll be at M & Co in the next week or so.

--kiloran

[bungeejumper]

I've always wondered what the shops do with these clothes that have been returned? Unwrapped, unfolded, pawed over, and (in many cases, I gather) worn out for a night or two before being returned as 'unsuitable'? At best, they'll need to be repackaged and then discounted - at worst, sold off to the discount outlets or simply given away to charity (after a suitable wait until they've been discontinued, I imagine?) Or sent to landfill.

As a bloke, who would never want to wear another man's shirt or shoes (ugh), I can't see how this trend can ever end well for the retailers. I sold my M&S shares for quite a good profit, eight years ago. Looks like I made the right call.

BJ

[swill453]

I've always wondered what the shops do with these clothes that have been returned? Unwrapped, unfolded, pawed over, and (in many cases, I gather) worn out for a night or two before being returned as 'unsuitable'? At best, they'll need to be repackaged and then discounted

I disagree, I'd imagine the large majority will be repackaged and put back into stock at full price. The system would have fallen apart as unsustainable long ago if that wasn't the case.

There will be exceptions of course. And I'm still not sure the economics work very well anyway.

Scott.

[Watis]

I've always wondered what the shops do with these clothes that have been returned? Unwrapped, unfolded, pawed over, and (in many cases, I gather) worn out for a night or two before being returned as 'unsuitable'? At best, they'll need to be repackaged and then discounted - at worst, sold off to the discount outlets or simply given away to charity (after a suitable wait until they've been discontinued, I imagine?) Or sent to landfill.

As a bloke, who would never want to wear another man's shirt or shoes (ugh), I can't see how this trend can ever end well for the retailers. I sold my M&S shares for quite a good profit, eight years ago. Looks like I made the right call.

BJ

Even in a traditional shoe shop, you can reasonably expect a new pair of shoes to have been tried on by several previous customers before you buy them.

Watis

[Watis]

Is that MKS specific though? Isn't it more just in the nature of how people shop online these days? It seems that people just buy stuff online "on spec" (as my Dad used to say) and think nothing of returning it on a whim.

And buying clothes without trying them on, or cosmetics without smelling and feeling them, is intrinsically riskier.

That said, I just took back a heavy-duty 100 kg. de-humidifer that I bought in person, because it can't deal with the damp in my basement. Maybe I should have bought a new basement . . .

Mrs Watis falls between two sizes, so the right size for her will depend on how generously the fabric was cut. It has become common practice to order both sizes, knowing that (at least) one of those garments will be returned for a refund.

Watis

[gryffron]

I'm not sure it is an entirely internet phenomenon. The upmarket stores always used to accept returns, and get quite a lot of them "doesn't match the shoes" etc. The internet may have made it slightly worse.

Gryff

[bungeejumper]

Even in a traditional shoe shop, you can reasonably expect a new pair of shoes to have been tried on by several previous customers before you buy them.

True, but with average luck they'll have been wearing socks.

Shoe shops, of course, tend to keep the occasional pair of hopefully clean socks for the use of bare-skin customers. I'm sure I wouldn't know what equivalent measures bra fitters adopt?

BJ

[bungeejumper]

I'm not sure it is an entirely internet phenomenon. The upmarket stores always used to accept returns, and get quite a lot of them "doesn't match the shoes" etc. The internet may have made it slightly worse.

AIUI, typical retailers' margins on clothes are upwards of 150%, so as to make allowance for stuff being returned/faulty/gone out of fashion/
"doesn't match my nail varnish", etc. But it seems to me that the sheer volume of clothing being bought (in 200% volumes) and then returned (half of it) is a new phenomenon that will drive bricks and mortar retailers to the wall eventually.

Scary stories here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-46537582

"It was reported this summer that nearly one in 10 British adults buys outfits online, takes a cheeky photo wearing them in their own homes, or a chosen location (even on the beach) and then sends them back. The pictures are posted on social media, often with the Outfit Of The Day (#OOTD) hashtag.

I know this is supposed to be a problem, but come on - it's genius. The clothing industry has always chewed us fashion victims up and then spat us out again. Now the worm gets a little turn. This way you get to almost own the outfit."


BJ

[richlist]

I think some of the online retailers are to blame for the quantity of returns.

I am continually disappointed with my online purchases. They often don't meet the description, or represent the photo on line, are the wrong colour, wrong material, inferior quality, wrong size, nothing like what I expected, poorly packaged, creased or absolute rubbish.

Retailers need to make more effort.

[brightncheerful]

"January 2 is expected to take in a whopping 75 per cent of clothing returns, and 42 per cent electrical goods returns, according to a Royal Mail study."

"Online returns are forecast to increase to £5.6 billion over the next five years, according to a new report. This equates to an increase of 27 per cent during that period, GlobalData said in its Online Returns in the UK 2018-2023 report."

On-line is glorified mail order so returns are par for the course. And the cost of disposal, etc built into the original price.

[Slarti]

Even in a traditional shoe shop, you can reasonably expect a new pair of shoes to have been tried on by several previous customers before you buy them.

True, but with average luck they'll have been wearing socks.

Shoe shops, of course, tend to keep the occasional pair of hopefully clean socks for the use of bare-skin customers. I'm sure I wouldn't know what equivalent measures bra fitters adopt?

BJ

They warm their hands?

Slarti

[Rhyd6]

As a child of the 40s I rarely had any "new clothes". My mother was the youngest of eleven children so I got all my cousins hand me downs. I have no qualms about accepting pre worn clothing from friends or relatives, just pop it in the washing machine and away to go. I'd much rather do this than consign perfectly decent clothes to landfill which is what so many people do today. Several friends, plus my two dauihters and mayself are all a size 8 to 10 so if anything special is required for a funeral or other occasion we always ring around before splashing out on something that might not get used again or by the time you do decide to wear it once more the fat fairy has paid a visit.

R6

[Lootman]

As a child of the 40s I rarely had any "new clothes". My mother was the youngest of eleven children so I got all my cousins hand me downs.

These days I get hand-me-ups. My sons buy new clothes because of the "look" even though their old ones are barely worn. Most of my fleeces, for instance, used to belong to my sons (we are all about the same size). I've even fished them out of the rubbish bin.

They don't much like it when they see me wearing them, however, and some gentle mocking typically ensues.

[Itsallaguess]

This isn't at all related to Kiloran's opening post, where on-line purchases will always inevitably involve a much higher number of returns, but in relation to the 'unshopping' thread-title, I've noticed a few people over the years that seem to have a very regular habit of making actual physical purchases, and yet still finding themselves having to take those same purchases back quite soon after, to the very same shops they came from...

It seems to be such a regular and specific habit with a very small number of people that I've actually wondered if it's the retail equivalent of the poor bulimia sufferer, who finds themselves wanting to force themselves to be sick after gorging themselves on food...

I don't suppose we should be too surprised if this is the case, either - I'm sure that for some people, shopping gives them an equivalent emotional crutch as perhaps eating or drinking does to many others, so would we really be shocked to see similar types of ailments, if people were to become too dependant on the retail-crutch they might require?

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[melonfool]

I've always wondered what the shops do with these clothes that have been returned? Unwrapped, unfolded, pawed over, and (in many cases, I gather) worn out for a night or two before being returned as 'unsuitable'? At best, they'll need to be repackaged and then discounted - at worst, sold off to the discount outlets or simply given away to charity (after a suitable wait until they've been discontinued, I imagine?) Or sent to landfill.

As a bloke, who would never want to wear another man's shirt or shoes (ugh), I can't see how this trend can ever end well for the retailers. I sold my M&S shares for quite a good profit, eight years ago. Looks like I made the right call.

BJ

You're not so worried about stuff being sent to landfill that you'd take the drastic step of shopping in charity shops then?

I think the finances work because people often buy more than they want or 'need', forget to send stuff back etc. I do plenty of online shopping and quite a bit of unshopping*. I post them back though, I don't go into the stores unless I'm going anyway.

Mel

(many years ago I worked in Boots, customers often seemed to move stuff around the store, leave things on different shelves, dump things at the till etc, and at the end of the day we had to go round and gather these things up and put them back on their correct shelves (except food which had to be checked and usually binned) and I coined the term 'unshopping' for this activity which all my managers thought was hilarious!)

[melonfool]

Shoe shops, of course, tend to keep the occasional pair of hopefully clean socks for the use of bare-skin customers. I'm sure I wouldn't know what equivalent measures bra fitters adopt?

BJ

In case you really want to know, a good bra fitter just measures by eye, I was only ever touched on M&S, the good retailers train their staff properly. And, when I say 'by eye', it's with clothes on (both of us!).

Mel

[bungeejumper]

As a bloke, who would never want to wear another man's shirt or shoes (ugh), I can't see how this trend can ever end well for the retailers. I sold my M&S shares for quite a good profit, eight years ago. Looks like I made the right call.

BJ

You're not so worried about stuff being sent to landfill that you'd take the drastic step of shopping in charity shops then?

Ooof, that's putting it a little too contentiously. Although I do get your point.

You see, it's a little bit different for us chaps. Unlike you ladies, some of whom who will send stuff to the charity shops after two wearings (you should see the Jaeger and Ted Baker etc that my wife picks up for a fiver!), we males tend to develop a bond with our clothes that lasts until they (or we) die. They become part of us, and we gradually become part of them. (Yuck.)

And then there's the provenance. A pretty large proportion of the male clothing in our local charity shops has clearly been retrieved from the back of some poor dead chap's wardrobe, where it's been for twenty years, judging by the style. (My father had a skip full of 1980s polo necks that he'd mail-ordered and then worn once before filing them 'for future use'.)

And no, I wouldn't fancy wearing a dead man's shoes either. I am lucky enough to be able to afford to avoid the concomitant health risk.

Point still taken, though. Liked your Boots story!

BJ

[Rhyd6]

My father once rushed off to a village jumble sale after discovering that my mother had donated his favourite genuine harris tweed jacket, a vile ginger coloured article, which he delightedly bought back. The jacket still hange in his shed, I just can't bring myself to throw it out.

R6