What's going too far with "buy then return" at retail stores?

[Zargon]

It baffles me that you think your wife did anything wrong in this case. Why do you hate your wife?

this.


this is not retail rental



if say........you needed an HDMI cable or console game NOW, and ordered it on newegg amazon for cheaper.......and bought it at walmart or bestbuy

then returned the one you got in the mail to the store...thats retail rental

or just like others said, buying something using it for a month or for an event then returning it anyways abusing the return policy....

 

[SunnyD]

It baffles me that you think your wife did anything wrong in this case. Why do you hate your wife?

The items were bought with the notion that they were going to be used. But apparently we miscounted, plus, as mentioned we had a few last minute cancels which reduced the headcount as well.

I absolutely love my wife... but since the intention was there to use the product (if needed?), that's sort of borderline on retail rental, no?

I can see both sides of it. Part of me says we should have just kept the excess, part of me says it's no big deal since it was all unopened/still retail sealed.

 

[PingSpike]

Don't they just put the unopened boxes right back on the shelf in that case though SunnyD? I really don't think there was any financial harm done to anyone here.

 

[AstroManLuca]

The items were bought with the notion that they were going to be used. But apparently we miscounted, plus, as mentioned we had a few last minute cancels which reduced the headcount as well.

I absolutely love my wife... but since the intention was there to use the product (if needed?), that's sort of borderline on retail rental, no?

I can see both sides of it. Part of me says we should have just kept the excess, part of me says it's no big deal since it was all unopened/still retail sealed.

They were unopened, resellable as new (not as open box items), and there was no bad intent either. It's fine. Really.

Think of the actual result of the return. The only thing you cost the store was the amount of time it took for the customer service person to process the return. Had you bought something, opened it, used it, and then returned it, that would cost the store their profit margin because they can't resell it as new. They have to mark it as open box and sell it at a loss (or zero gain). For something like napkins, they'd probably end up having to throw them out entirely, or stick them in the break room or something.

 

[dank69]

The items were bought with the notion that they were going to be used. But apparently we miscounted, plus, as mentioned we had a few last minute cancels which reduced the headcount as well.

I absolutely love my wife... but since the intention was there to use the product (if needed?), that's sort of borderline on retail rental, no?

I can see both sides of it. Part of me says we should have just kept the excess, part of me says it's no big deal since it was all unopened/still retail sealed.

No, just no. Your mental stability is being called into question at this point. There is absolutely nothing wrong with returning unopened items, ever.

 

[waggy]

No, just no. Your mental stability is being called into question at this point. There is absolutely nothing wrong with returning unopened items, ever.

Lol i agree.

 

[SunnyD]

No, just no. Your mental stability is being called into question at this point. There is absolutely nothing wrong with returning unopened items, ever.

So... buying a packing of something with an expiration date, keeping it past expiration (unopened), then returning it is okay?

(Yes, I'm just being a dork now)

 

[waggy]

So... buying a packing of something with an expiration date, keeping it past expiration (unopened), then returning it is okay?

(Yes, I'm just being a dork now)

no you aren't being a dork. you are being a retard.

 

[CraigRT]

There is zero wrong with that. It can go right back on the store shelves.

 

[Svnla]

As long as the item(s) is not opened/used and being returned within 30 days, I don't see a problem.

 

[rsutoratosu]

i got a friend that does that and i hate them with passion.. they go to target and buy the vacuum carper cleaner and clean the dog sh!t off their floor and sofa and return it.. try not to hang out with them but see them at parties and stuff.. such ass hat move

they also drive around different pets smart to dispute $1 off the dog food when gas is like 4 bucks a gallon

 

[MisterJackson]

What pisses me off is when a retailer takes something in as a return then just boxes it back up and puts it on the shelf to sell as new.

When my son was younger, he saw this really cool Air Hogs RC plane he wanted for his birthday. I got it for him, and when he unwrapped it and opened it, it was missing parts, had the plastic bags that parts should have been in just wadded up in the bottom. Hell, their little pinkish return sticker was still on the plane.

Upon closer inspection of the box I noticed they had just put a piece of tape over the original factory tape. I was pissed. I normally don't complain to customer service, but when I got there I asked for a manager (He gets paid to listen to me bitch, the poor girl working the register doesn't. I'm only an asshole towards the proper people).

The manager didn't give a fuck, which wasn't much of a surprise. I swore off Walmart after that. Hell, I don't agree with "retail renting", but I'd have no problem with using Walmart for it if I did it. Fuck them.

 

[SamQuint]

What pisses me off is when a retailer takes something in as a return then just boxes it back up and puts it on the shelf to sell as new.

When my son was younger, he saw this really cool Air Hogs RC plane he wanted for his birthday. I got it for him, and when he unwrapped it and opened it, it was missing parts, had the plastic bags that parts should have been in just wadded up in the bottom. Hell, their little pinkish return sticker was still on the plane.

Upon closer inspection of the box I noticed they had just put a piece of tape over the original factory tape. I was pissed. I normally don't complain to customer service, but when I got there I asked for a manager (He gets paid to listen to me bitch, the poor girl working the register doesn't. I'm only an asshole towards the proper people).

The manager didn't give a fuck, which wasn't much of a surprise. I swore off Walmart after that. Hell, I don't agree with "retail renting", but I'd have no problem with using Walmart for it if I did it. Fuck them.

This is what pisses me off about Fry's electronics. They put returns on the shelf all the time. You have to carefully examin each box to make sure you are not getting a return. Sometimes they have a sticker but many times they don't.

 

[SamQuint]

Also in regards to the OP. Returning things unopened is fine. However returning food of any kind is not. I don't think a store can resell any food or consumable item (like vitamins) that has left the store. Some crazy person could poison it and return it and the store might be held legally responsible.

If you have food you cannot use donate it to a food bank.

I also have seen some crazy returns at Costco. I have see a bunch of outdoor heaters returned. You just know people "rent" them for their parties and then return them afterwards.

I also have seen alot of those giant teddy bears returned? Why the hell would you buy your kid a huge teddy bear and then return it. I guess they buy it and then take pictures of their kid holding it and then tell the kid it is too big to keep???

 

[Wyndru]

My wife constantly does this, especially with our daughter's clothes and shoes (mainly wanting to verify size). Our daughter is not always with her when she does the shopping. It's not really "rental" but definitely overbuying which results in many returns.

This Halloween we bought 3 costumes, and just returned the 2 she didn't wear. There are always kids r us returns going on too. It's not uncommon for us to have bags laying around that are just for items to be returned. She just buys a ton of stuff during sales, then returns what she doesn't want. I tell her this all of the time...I love her, but sometimes she is completely fucking nuts.

 

[Krazy4Real]

I don't see anything wrong with what your wife did.

 

[Gillbot]

Unopened and returned, no problem IMHO. Used and returned, NAH!

 

[TheAdvocate]

I bought a complete hardware replacement kit for our master shower in 2009. $300. Returned it to Lowes a couple weeks ago... unused but product long ago discontinued and the box was kinda beat from sitting in storage for 4 years. We changed our remodel plans completely. I actually felt bad about that return but the store took it. Helped that i kept the receipt.

 

[jupiter57]

I'm rooming with a guy for two months in a furnished apartment provided for us. There was on old crappy TV here already but that wasn't good enough for him so he went out and bought a 50" lcd from Walmart that he will be returning at the end of the two months. Disgusting.

I think the OPs situation is acceptable, though.

Personally, if I were you, I would scrape off any identification, serial numbers, model number stickers, etc., even obscure any stamped numbers on it just to look like he was returning a completely different unit. :biggrin:

Yeah, that's how I feel about people who do stuff like this!

(And yes, OPs situation is perfectly reasonable and acceptable!)

 

[Aikouka]

if say........you needed an HDMI cable or console game NOW, and ordered it on newegg amazon for cheaper.......and bought it at walmart or bestbuy

While that definitely sounds dubious, I don't think that counts as "retail rental" because you still own the product... you just physically own the product that you purchased from the B&M store, but for the price that you paid at the online retailer.

I absolutely love my wife... but since the intention was there to use the product (if needed?), that's sort of borderline on retail rental, no?

No. While it creates a bit of a hassle for the retailer to put it back, it isn't really rental because the items weren't used. I can understand why you feel bad about it. It seems a bit "bad mannered" to just purchase an excess amount and let the store take care of your mistake/misfortune.

 

[RedRooster]

They just write it off!

 

[SphinxnihpS]

We all hate the folks that ruined the awesomeness that was Costco's TV policy from years of yore. But that's water under the bridge. I've seen a growing trend of retail store "rental" lately... in fact it spills over into online shopping. People buy something to tide the over for a little bit until the next big thing comes in, or whatever they previously had gets repaired, and then they return their "new" item.

My wife pulled one on me the other day that made me question a similar situation on whether it was wrong or not.

Cliffs:
- Hosting kid B-Day party event
- Planned for X total attendees (RSVP's accounted for plus a "few" extra last minute maybes)
- A few drop out at the last minute due to illness (not many though)
- Party goes off, kids have fun
- Wife notes that she apparently overbought on several supplies (themed prepackaged paper plates, napkins and party favors)
- Wife returns unopened overbought supplies

Now the overbuy was definitely a bit in excess of the TOTAL headcount that was invited, let alone that RSVP'd. So there was obviously a bit of poor planning involved.

Does this fall under the "retail rental" category? Or should this be deemed acceptable?

Since 2003, I have bought about 500 various planks of real wood (3/4"xX", 2"x4"s, etc.), with the express purpose of retuning 2/3s of it. The reason for this is because you can not tell if a piece of wood is crap until you let it sit a month or more. Does Menard's or Home Depot ever sell any of the stuff I return? Less fucks could not be given.

I think the phenomena you are referring to is due entirely to store policy. Kohl's for instance has a 100% money back, no questioned asked, return policy. Buy a pair of jeans and wear them out, then return them. They will even take merchandise from other stores and don't require receipts, though in these cases you will just get store credit.

Though this policy is abused beyond belief, it does not seem to hurt their bottom line, and they have not changed it.

 

[ch33zw1z]

No problem with the situation in the OP. Return abuse is buying something, trying it out, and returning it after giving it a test run. Unopened/unused products, no biggie. Save the tree's.

 

[ch33zw1z]

They just write it off!

lol...

 

[Schfifty Five]

The items were bought with the notion that they were going to be used. But apparently we miscounted, plus, as mentioned we had a few last minute cancels which reduced the headcount as well.

I absolutely love my wife... but since the intention was there to use the product (if needed?), that's sort of borderline on retail rental, no?

I can see both sides of it. Part of me says we should have just kept the excess, part of me says it's no big deal since it was all unopened/still retail sealed.

WTF?

How on earth would you confuse what happened to you and your wife as "retail rental"? Makes me wonder if you even know what retail rental is.