Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Have any of you ever bought something at a store, used it, and taken it back - knowing you were going to take it back all along?
I haven't done this for many years, but I used to have to dress up for meetings or special occasions, and I would buy a nice outfit, new blazer, suit, etc., to wear at the event, knowing I was going to return it to get my money back.
Sometimes, I'd tuck the tag up under the sleeve and tape it there. I'd be avoiding bumping into people who might spill something on me, etc.
I was a single working mom, and just couldn't afford to keep a new outfit back then.
What made me think about this, is that I just recently bought a citrus juicer from Wal-Mart for about $20. I had gotten a bunch of free lemons, grapefruits and limes that I wanted to juice up and can. I looked and looked for one I could afford, and settled on a Black & Decker model for only $18 plus tax at Wal-Mart.
It got the job done, but it's supposed to automatically reverse so you get all the pulp juiced. Well, this feature doesn't work right, and because of that it takes longer to get the job done. If I was just going to juice a little juice for breakfast that would be one thing, but for a big job, it's just not a good option. Granted, you get what you pay for, but...
I've been sitting here drinking my coffee looking at the juicer (and the pretty little 1/2 pint jars of lime juice - my last batch of all the citrus I have to juice), and thinking I'll take it back and get my money back.
Granted, this is a little different than knowing from the git-go I was going to return it, but it made me reminisce about the "good" old days of wearing new suits with tags tucked inside the sleeve lol!
Have you ever done this? Bought something for a particular purpose, knowing you would use it and then return it for your money back?
I own the juicer and it does in fact reverse, you just have to change where you put the pressure on your hand. For instance tilt the orange/lime/lemon slightly toward you to go one direction and away to go the other.
I always see "professional-looking" women in Goodwill, looking through the slacks, skirts, and blouses, and even shoes.
When I had an office job with a state agency, the administrative assistant to the head guy in the office would often come in on Monday mornings proudly wearing some new (to her) outfit she had found at a garage sale over the weekend. She always looked professional - without having to rip off a store to do it.
Years ago, I worked for a bank credit operations center. The best-dressed supervisor there got nearly all of her work clothes at Goodwill. Everyone wondered how she afforded it on her salary; that's how. She was fortunate to be thin enough that she could buy the clothes other women "outgrew".
I hear about things you mention in your post, and I've heard about what the OP bragged about doing back in "the good old days," but when I come across someone who actually has done it, and who even seems to be a little proud of it, I can't help but be shocked.
It goes for a lot of dishonest activity - I often hear on the news, in the newspaper, or by word of mouth some new and creative way someone comes up with to rip someone else off and my first thought, after my jaw drops, is either,
"that would never have occurred to me," or, "I would never have thought of that!"
It seems some peoples' minds are geared more for dishonesty than others.
And, no.....I'm no "saint."
Its easy for these people to justify their immoral decisions by saying to themselves that its "just a big corporation and they can afford it" or that "they still have the product, I am just borrowing it". I wonder how they would feel if their boss borrowed their time by having them work without getting paid? I mean, its only an hour? You have hundreds of thousands of hours to spare!
I'd honestly like to know why stores accept returns then?
Seems to me if someone buys a comforter that's supposed to be new, they should be mad at the store who sold them a used one...with cat hair on it. Who would get sued here? The person who legally returned it according to the store's policy? Or the store who resold it as new?
I buy stuff from the Amazon Warehouse often. These are usually returns. I buy them knowing they are returns. Amazon still gets some return on the item, and no doubt can write off any loss. I get a decent item for a lower price.
So, if it is truly theft, anyway, why is it legal? Why do stores allow it? In fact, many stores even promote their return policies.
So, instead of continuing to scold those who buy things and return them, let's discuss why stores allow it? Or even promote it?
Most people who have had their own businesses know the answer to your question. Businesses allow returns because competation with other businesses demand them to allow returns. Forty to fifty years ago the "motto" was buyer beware. If you bought an item and took it out of the store, It was yours, no return. Then along comes Walmart and started taking returned merchandise. That was how Walmart started in business which was by buying distressed merchandise and allowing unlimited returns. Other businesses were forced to allow returns or not sell their merchandise. Gradually Walmart began picking up name brands and including in their merchandise lines. Some may be seconds while some are first run merchandise. Now Walmart is a global merchandiser. Competation with other businesses also keeps the price of merchandise lower for the customers. Government interference increases the cost to all customers. IMHO
I own the juicer and it does in fact reverse, you just have to change where you put the pressure on your hand. For instance tilt the orange/lime/lemon slightly toward you to go one direction and away to go the other.
I guess I just got a "lemon" ... but I tried every possible different kind of pressure, stopping completely, every which way you can think of, and the thing would occasionally work right...but 9 times out of 10 would just stutter and then continue on the direction it was going.
You obviously have no sense of shame. All your actions do is to add to the cost of consumer goods.
I managed a "repair shop" for goods returned from Lowes and the Home Depot. People need a tool to complete an occasional job, use it, and return it as defective. The goods are returned, cleaned, repackaged and sold as reworked at a discount. Less than 2-5% of the goods were defective.
I've gotten some great deals on these. I think they're called "reconditioned" or "remanufactured" or something. Buying stuff like this is being frugal not buying brand new stuff, using it, and then claiming it's defective.
The return thing worked for my mother -- she was amazingly tight with her money because she had to be. She would buy an article of clothing, not try it on, take it home and tried it on to match up with her owned clothing. If the item worked with everything, it stayed. If not, or it fit weird or badly made -- it went back.
When she died, everything in her closet went with everything else. She could dress up or dress down.
And that's what the return policy is for. You can make a decision, or make a mistake. I just bought a case of paper towels. I wasn't feeling well, and I bought single fold, while my dispensers are multi fold. I took them back.
OR -- as happens so much at Target I try to not shop there, or open the package at the checkout to check -- when you buy an item and find out someone has used it and not cleaned it, or more often, stole the product and replaced it. I bought bathroom scales once, and when I got home, the item on the package wasn't in the box.... it was 50 year old dirty nasty broken bath scales.
So -- when you've been burned by people like this (and by this I mean you, NoMore) the whole thing makes me a little ticked off.
The return thing worked for my mother -- she was amazingly tight with her money because she had to be. She would buy an article of clothing, not try it on, take it home and tried it on to match up with her owned clothing. If the item worked with everything, it stayed. If not, or it fit weird or badly made -- it went back.
When she died, everything in her closet went with everything else. She could dress up or dress down.
And that's what the return policy is for. You can make a decision, or make a mistake. I just bought a case of paper towels. I wasn't feeling well, and I bought single fold, while my dispensers are multi fold. I took them back.
OR -- as happens so much at Target I try to not shop there, or open the package at the checkout to check -- when you buy an item and find out someone has used it and not cleaned it, or more often, stole the product and replaced it. I bought bathroom scales once, and when I got home, the item on the package wasn't in the box.... it was 50 year old dirty nasty broken bath scales.
So -- when you've been burned by people like this (and by this I mean you, NoMore) the whole thing makes me a little ticked off.
And I have no problem with either of these scenarios.
A few times, I have done exactly what your mother did. I absolutely hate clothes shopping, and hate trying clothes on in the store, and a few times I have bought the items, took them home to try on, and returned what either didn't fit right or look right.
That's a far cry from buying something, with the intention of wearing it for a day (or more), deliberately hiding the tags, and then returning it for a full refund.
Ashamed to say but a relative of mine went out of town for sporting competition for his daughter and on the way he stopped at Sam's and bought a very expensive camera, took photos at the event and then returned the camera. I was
appalled! He tried to make it sound good by saying it was a display item. It's still not right in my book!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
