I can totally see how someone can have a high return rate from online purchases. I’ve been a Nordstrom customer for eons; the max limit on my credit card with them terrifies me, it’s so high. I’ve been dieting for health reasons. I’ve lost weight. I needed new denim. My go to is the Topshop Jamie jean. A few months ago they had a sale on Jamie jeans, which are a high waist ankle grazer. I bought 5 pairs of 30W 30L Jamie jeans, all denim, figured surely, they will all fit and I will be done needing to buy jeans. Nope. The five pairs showed up. I pulled them all out and tried them all on. One fit perfectly, like the other pair in my closet at the time. Two other pairs were too small. One of the too small pairs was so small I could not get it over my hips. The other two pairs were huge. I could stick my entire fist in the waist of the jeans. I looked at the tags. Same fabric blend, all five pairs. All various shades of blue denim. All high rise. All the size I had bought. Lined them up on the bed to see if there was a difference in length between the different kinds. There was. I had to return 4 pairs of denim. That’s an 80% return rate for one purchase. All because Topshop can’t figure out how to consistently size jeans.
Went through the same thing last week at an actual Nordstrom store with the Topshop Sidney jean (mid rise ankle grazer). One pair was huge. The other so small I had to suck my stomach in to zip them up. At this same store I tried on the Good American brand good legs jean in three different washes. I was a size 6 in two pairs and a size 10 in another pair.
As for Nordstrom Rack I just ordered some stuff from them. All of it was Free People. I love Free People, but their sizing is all over the place. Nordstrom Rack claimed on their website that two of the blouses I ordered (same blouse, two sizes, this is Free People and who knows what size I am in this particular blouse) was embroidered. The blouses I received were both beaded. Heavily beaded. Two other blouses were made of thin, cheap jersey fabric that I have never seen before in Free People clothing. I bought two different kinds of boxy, frilly blouses in this order. One of them the small was too tight. In the other the medium was too huge. I’m keeping a small in one and a medium in the other. In total I bought 8 items. I’m keeping 2 of them. Two of the items I’m returning the quality just isn’t there and two others the item was misrepresented by Nordstrom Rack on their site.
And while there is a size guide on internet sites its the same worthless one that is in old school catalogues that no brand has used in eons. It is not accurate at all. And on most sites there are no measurements of the garment, so it is hard to tell how it will fit.
I think it is harsh to penalize customers for a high rate of returns for online purchases. The sizing is inconsistent across brands and even within brands. I’ve just named three brands sold by Nordstrom and NR that have inconsistent sizing across their own lines. I don’t see a 95% return rate as excessive at all for online shopping given the sizing inconsistencies, poor and inaccurate product descriptions, and poor quality that isn’t obvious until the item arrives.
Are there people who abuse the return policy? Sure. I used to see it all the time when I worked at Macy’s.
Went through the same thing last week at an actual Nordstrom store with the Topshop Sidney jean (mid rise ankle grazer). One pair was huge. The other so small I had to suck my stomach in to zip them up. At this same store I tried on the Good American brand good legs jean in three different washes. I was a size 6 in two pairs and a size 10 in another pair.
As for Nordstrom Rack I just ordered some stuff from them. All of it was Free People. I love Free People, but their sizing is all over the place. Nordstrom Rack claimed on their website that two of the blouses I ordered (same blouse, two sizes, this is Free People and who knows what size I am in this particular blouse) was embroidered. The blouses I received were both beaded. Heavily beaded. Two other blouses were made of thin, cheap jersey fabric that I have never seen before in Free People clothing. I bought two different kinds of boxy, frilly blouses in this order. One of them the small was too tight. In the other the medium was too huge. I’m keeping a small in one and a medium in the other. In total I bought 8 items. I’m keeping 2 of them. Two of the items I’m returning the quality just isn’t there and two others the item was misrepresented by Nordstrom Rack on their site.
And while there is a size guide on internet sites its the same worthless one that is in old school catalogues that no brand has used in eons. It is not accurate at all. And on most sites there are no measurements of the garment, so it is hard to tell how it will fit.
I think it is harsh to penalize customers for a high rate of returns for online purchases. The sizing is inconsistent across brands and even within brands. I’ve just named three brands sold by Nordstrom and NR that have inconsistent sizing across their own lines. I don’t see a 95% return rate as excessive at all for online shopping given the sizing inconsistencies, poor and inaccurate product descriptions, and poor quality that isn’t obvious until the item arrives.
Are there people who abuse the return policy? Sure. I used to see it all the time when I worked at Macy’s.
