What Do You Think of "Wardrobing"?

I'd never heard of the term "wardrobing" until I saw this piece telling how retailers are cracking down on it.  The details:

Jimmy Deignan's first time was with a $500 portable DVD player.

He bought it a few years ago at Best Buy for a Boston-to-Los Angeles flight, knowing he would return it for a full refund when he got back. More recently, in November, rather than spending $600 to rent a LCD projector for a business presentation, the Holden resident purchased one at Staples, then returned it a few days later and got his money back.

The way Deignan sees it, he is just a smart shopper: He gets the things he needs, uses them for as long as he wants, and saves money. But to retailers, this is wardrobing, a practice they say is unethical, damaging to their bottom line, and increasingly common.

Nearly two-thirds of merchants had items wardrobed in 2007, up from 56 percent the year before, the first year the National Retail Federation started tracking the trend. Merchants blame tough economic times and a "customer-is-always right" mentality gone too far. They say a growing number of shoppers feel entitled to return used items they no longer want, and probably could not afford in the first place - from costly cocktail dresses for big events to pricey plasma televisions bought exclusively to watch the Super Bowl. So, they are striking back, instituting more restrictive return policies, imposing restocking fees, and keeping a blacklist of serial wardrobers.

I have several thoughts on this issue:

1. I feel like this is dishonest -- buying something with the intent to use it and then return it.

2. Now if you buy something with the intent to keep it but you just don't like it, it doesn't work like you thought it would, etc., that's a different matter. You should have the right to return it. If the store won't let you, start shopping somewhere else.

3. I'm afraid the people that wardrobe are going to ruin return policies for those of us with legitimate return concerns. Then again, maybe competition will make sure stores always have decent return policies.

4. When I was young, my mom wardrobed a few times (maybe she was a trendsetter!) We were poor (no excuse, I know) and sometimes she'd "buy" something, use it, and return it. Most often it was a piece of clothing. I never really thought of it until I saw this article.

5. I have NEVER wardrobed and neither has my wife and to do so would be teaching our kids the wrong principles in my opinion.

What do you think of wardrobing? Have you ever done it?

Comments

[Peachy]

Does anyone watch King of Queens? There was an episode where Carrie shopped at only high-end stores in order to wear fancy clothes, and then had to return them within the grace period. She had a log and receipts and a closet full of couture clothing. I forget what happened at the end except that Doug made her return them all. Wardrobing is not a new thing. Only the name is new. People have been doing this for years.

[kati]

I don't do "wardrobing". but i also don't buy things that i only need once. There are worse things people to businesses than wardrobing though. I had a friend who loves electronics. Whenever their certain electronic would break they would go to the store buy and buy a new one. They would take the new one out of he packaging, and replace it with the old broken one and return it for their money. So the store gets a broken electronic and friend gets a new electronic for free. Now that is ripping stores off, with wardrobing atleast its still sellable.

[kitty]

Agree that it is dishonest and unethical. I think it is especially bad when it costs the store money i.e. if they don't sell it at the same price. Similarly, returning an evening gown is cheating the customer who'll buy it -- it'll no longer be new, it could have deodorant lines under the arms or other spots that one may not notice immediately. A small local store where I used to live specifically excluded evening gowns from the return policy -- too many teenage girls saving on prom dresses.

I have a funny story about it, though. I heard it from the third person, so I cannot vouch that it is true but knowing the people involved it could be. A woman who wasn't even poor - between upper middle class and rich - bought a fancy skirt, blouse and jacket to wear at her daughter's wedding. The jacket was $700, and apparently she was planning to return it, so she still had the tag on it. At the wedding her cousin noticed the tag and said - "oh, you forgot to remove the tag, it is showing. Don't worry I'll fix it in a second". She then took out a pair of sissors and cut the tag off. Oops.