The rate of clothing returns has been growing over the years as fast fashion continues to take over the economy. The USPS Delivery said, “[Returns] affect profits, stock counts, customer loyalty, and much more. Companies intent on managing and growing their business must understand the returns landscape to ultimately lower their return rates and improve operations.”
The USPS Delivery website calculated percentages for different retail categories and whether people have been returning clothes to stores, both online and in person, due to many complications when purchasing an item, or something being wrong with the product. The effects of impulsive buying and fast fashion have made it easier for people to return clothes that they changed their minds about after purchasing. However, many companies have different return policies.
Senior Bailey Vitek said, “It depends on the company. Some companies…you can only get in store credit or you only get a certain amount back.” When people return clothes, especially around the holidays, they don’t take into account what it does for the company. This can include having no purchases and only returns, affecting people wanting to shop there, and changing the stocks of a company.
Marketing teacher Morgan Wadlow said, “It can be really hard to predict your stock while also trying to figure out what things are going to look like a month from now.”
Online return rates for clothes have been much higher than in-store returns due to it being harder to fully see if the product online will fit or work for you.
Video production and career foundations teacher Matt Boase said, “Many clothes get returned to online stores because you aren’t able to try them on and can’t fully tell what the article looks like. However, when you shop in-store at places, you can try clothes on so you don’t have to return them.”
Stores like Kohl’s have an Amazon return located in the store, where people can take the item that was purchased and are able to return it if it still has the packaging. People use that to their advantage to return clothes there instead of the post office. Vitek, who worked at Kohl’s, said, “I am not entirely sure why people are just okay with returning stuff that other people have spent money on.”
Returns for in-store purchases can be complicated to go through, as people lose receipts or lie about when they actually purchased something. Vitek said, “There has been an increase in scammers pretending they bought something recently, but really, it is an old receipt.”
The clothes that are an actual return, and not a scam, have to be looked at to make sure they aren’t damaged or have an odor. Once they are returned, they go into bins and are sent back to the company’s warehouse. If they aren’t in perfect condition, they can either be disposed of or replaced.
Wadlow said, “Influencers and social media can cause a shift in what people buy or where, and later return due to being out of date or never actually wanting to wear it.” Wadlow expressed how things online can affect purchase and return patterns. When people purchase things without really taking into consideration whether they will actually wear it, or just want to buy it, the return rates will continue to grow. Wadlow said, “You can never really know what you are gonna wear, and what you are going to return, but it seems like over the years, fast fashion has caused a growth in clothes being returned to companies.”
