Wardrobing gained much attraction in the online world. Many people gravitated toward buying expensive clothing, wearing them for a short period, and returning them for a full refund.
A TikToker’s viral video addressed the opposing side of wardrobing or the sales associate’s viewpoint. Under the username, _jordynrich, the TikToker, who works at Saks Fifth Avenue, posted a video sharing her life as a sales associate, specifically her experience with customers wardrobing.
“POV: You come back to work & see someone returned the $3,000 outfit they wore on Instagram,” the text on top of the video read.
Other sales associates and those who know some flocked to her comments to give their thoughts and experiences.
“I think these stores need to start putting on [an] obvious tag on certain items of clothing saying if removed, no return,” Anissa Monique commented.
“I find my clients on Instagram and will show them in the outfit they’re trying to return…RETURN DENIED.”
“Be thinking my commission [about] to look GOOD, then end up with a 5k return.”
“Y’all, I have some hot tea on some influencers. I’d say 98% returns [were] only from “rich” influencers. Rarely items were clean and had [a] strong smell.”
A commenter suggested they collected every customer’s Instagram name, but Jordyn responded, claiming she had tried, but people refused.
Others commented that Saks wasn’t the only high-end retail store victim of wardrobing. Nordstrom is another, as well. Only Nordstrom has a more lenient return policy.
“Yep!!!! I hated that at Saks & Nordstrom!!!!!!!!! They are high-end thrift stores! Everything has been worn & [returned].”
“My friend worked at Nordstrom and said the monclers would get returned every time.”
“No [because] when I used to work at Nordstrom, this lady would return something every week, like girl.”
“As someone who worked for Nordstrom, they would literally have to accept ANY RETURN NO MATTER HOW F***KING OLD IT WAS.”
Some commenters needed help understanding why returns bothered sales associates. Jordyn explained to some that the high-end returns interfered with their commission. So, if an employee sells a $5,000 dress to a customer, the employee gets about 10 percent of that sale (about $500) in addition to their salary. If the person returns the dress, that employee doesn’t get the commission.
According to Saks’ return policy, returns must be in the same condition as they were when the customer received the item(s): “unworn, salable, undamaged, unaltered, with original tags and packaging (if applicable) and with proof of purchase.”
Nordstrom’s return policy isn’t specific. The company handles returns on a “case-by-case basis,” intending to ensure its customers are happy. There aren’t any time limits for returns or exchanges, but customers should be considerate.
