I've noticed a really annoying trend a where I work right now. It's a clothing store. I know, I know, what do I have to be annoyed about besides MAYBE refolding shirts that everyone loves to look through and unfold and leave there in a crumpled heap?

Lately, people have been buying way more than they can afford and I have no clue why. They'll spend over $200 one day and come in the next day returning $150 of it or more. Sometimes all of it! When I ask the reason for return ( I have to ) they always fumble around saying how it didn't fit or how it just didn't work - but I know it did. I'm the one that let them into the damn dressing room and listened to them gush about how much they loved that outfit.

e_e Christ. I don't know if you guys know this or not, but most retail stores have goals to meet in sales. Like, a very specific number. If we don't make over that amount of money that day ( returns count against us. If we make a $30 sale and you return $60 worth of stuff, we're negative 30 bux and have to make that up AND make our goal. ) And what happens when we can't make our goal due to returns? Our hours get cut. Severely.

STOP BUYING THINGS YOU CAN'T AFFORD ( not you, general populous of Menewsha, just stupid people ) AND LET ME HAVE MY HOURS, CHRIST.

...i stick to thrift stores, and some of them dont even have dressing rooms. they say you can use a skirt to switch pants and put shirts on onver your shirts....

I've never been brave enough to shop in a thrift store. The only ones I've seen are so run down that they're scary to go into. >:

I can't imagine how annoying that must be. Seriously, the lack of common sense in some people makes me feel like a genius. :lol:

I learned something new today. I;d never thought about retail stores needing to meet a certain quota, but that makes a lot of sense.

I guess it's the recession? I don't even understand that at all. Why spend all that money if you know you can't afford it? That honestly doesn't make any sense to me... unless they're aspiring models, and buy the clothes for a photo shoot, wear them once, and take them back. Who knows?

"I agree with you whole heartedly. Unfortunately, this concept is VERY popular in American society as well as in other societies around the globe. It's one of the many reasons why our economy has tanked. All the people in the country with their gold credit cards, going out and buying a huge 50" plasma screen TV even though they work at a minimum wage job or are paying child support or some thing to this effect. Too many people in this day and age don't know how to be conservative with their money. Quite stupid and sad."

I love thrift stores! Sometimes you can find some pretty neat on-of-a-kind items.
Or you can find nice name-brands with tags at a severely reduced rate!

Although, even though I am a guy, I find alot of my excess income going to clothing.
I just love the feel and look of new clothes as well as having that variety in hand! :yes:
ESPECIALLY new pants :drool:

I couldnt agree with you more, but sometimes, people have to learn the hard way and get in debt before they understand the value of a dollar.

Instead of being unable to afford things, also consider these possibilities:

Buyers remorse - Some people feel guilty after buying some things after the fact.
Second thoughts - Something they loved in the store on an impulse buy can turn out to be kind of ick by the time you bring it home and look at it again. I have done this.
Shopping therapy - I know that sometimes it makes me feel better to go shopping when I am in a funk. I haven't returned anything afterward, though, but I also don't get carried away or have really shopped in bulk.
So-and-so hated it - Mom, dad, boyfriend, girlfriend, wife, husband, etc. etc. If they hated it, the person may return it.

But it is totally true that people do live beyond their means. Usually that involves not returning merch, but still. There's all sorts of possibilities.

Or it could be credit card issues....
A shiny card can get you almost anything, so long as you give it little something.
Or you dont have to owe the credit card anything, if you return it all back.

Wow, I hear ya, loud and clear. In general, I don't buy any new clothing products (mostly because they're mostly produced overseas using cheap labor), but when I used to I would never, EVER purchase anything with money I didn't have, or with money I didn't intend to spend. That would really grate on me if I were in your position. I didn't know that information about sales, never having worked in the service sector; it's very enlightening.

it's called societal pressure.
people ought to not give a damn and roam free naked.

o.O

So, you're not meeting sales goals because of the returns, but your solution is for people to not buy the things in first place? Either way you're not meeting your sales goal, hours get cut, store closes in the end.

I think they are actually saying, stop buying stuff if you know you can't afford it.

I like shopping in thrift stores, and most aren't that creepy. The main thing is to relax. Most places only accept clean clothes, and only sell over clothing. And most thrift stores (salvation army, and my local one) have at least one dressing room.

Americans have fallen into the credit trap. it's rather depressing actually. Some people think that because you don't have to pay for it now, you can afford it. That's how people on food stamps believe they can buy everything neighbor Jones has...

If it was a social commentary, then I agree wholeheartedly. It just sounded more to me like "bawwww now I have no hours" in which case, they wouldn't have hours anyways because the store isn't drawing sales.

Perhaps...

I generally live off of Thrift stores.
The Goodwill's here in South Florida all have dressing rooms, so I can try on and whatnot. Their "No return, No exchange" policy is what works with them as well. Especially since the clothes are already second-hand.

As for the quota retail stores have to meet, it is depressing to know that employees end up getting their hours cut after an imbecile returns things they should not have bought in the first place.

I know for sure that at Macy's almost all employees work based on commission (This is why they ambush you when you enter. Try not to get mad, this determines how much they are paid.). I guess you can call that a quota as well. xP

Retail can be a pretty demanding job, as well as frustrating (dealing with obnoxious people).
I don't blame you for getting so angry.

On the note of people buying things they can't afford, this is why they end up diving into bankruptcy. Then they whine whine whine about being in debt and being harassed by credit card companies.

I didn't even know that happened. I went on sprees when I was younger and my sister still does. Go and spend a couple hundred dollars and spend the rest of the month looking fabulous. I've never taken anything back though, even if I regretted it later. Of course I learned my lesson and am now one of the most frugal people you're ever likely to meet. XD

That's really not cool for people to do but it is such a problem in our world today. People in general need to wise up and realize not just what they're doing to themselves financially but to others as well.

Originally Posted by Kinmotsu

o.O

So, you're not meeting sales goals because of the returns, but your solution is for people to not buy the things in first place? Either way you're not meeting your sales goal, hours get cut, store closes in the end.

See that's the thing. If they didn't buy so much, our goals for the next day wouldn't inflate.

How it works is like this:

People buy more one day - Next day's goal, next week's over all goal and next year's goal for that month goes up.

People return too much one day - Goals stay the same.

If they wouldn't by it, the goals wouldn't inflate.

That doesn't make any sense, since any retailer would should base their goals on month trends, not day to day. Using a Tuesday to gauge a Thursday's sales is irresponsible.

edit: Plus if this is as popular a trend as you're making it out to be, then your store's sales trends would reflect high return rates, thus negating the high sale rates.

*shrug* Take it up with Cato. None of their policies make sense. It doesn't mean that the returns are any less frustrating either. xD

Edit: They don't take the returns into consideration at all. I've been here for a year and a half now and what they base our goals on are the sales/how much money is handled that day. If $300 is taken in and $100 goes out in profit, we've handled $400 dollars that day and need to double that or at least go over $400 to make the day. And each day, money handling is recorded for the next year. We're encouraged to beat LY ( Last Year's ) sales from the same day last year and if we don't, the hours get cut.

I guess all I'm saying is that poor management seems to be taking your store down, not (only) people who can't afford what they buy...

Strangely enough, the company is doing just fine. Probably from saving on payroll so much. It's really only the store workers that suffer any part of the piss poor management. The district management and the desk jobs for the company are probably some of the cushiest jobs around.

Dang, that really sucks. I hope you won't get in trouble.

I know my housemate, who works at an art store said that she got in trouble from her boss. I guess some lady bought $150 worth of supplies, and then decided to return them because she couldn't afford them. She ended up walking away with an extra $98. :\ Btw, I have no idea how, but that's what my housemate said. BUT, she could have been lying or expanding the truth. *shrug*

So yeah... just be careful. Not all people are nice. :[