Nordstrom banned from shopping from their online and store

[sdkitty]

Wow what a heated topic! I live very close to a Nordstrom, they are my favorite store and I'd say 95% of all my clothing comes from here. That said, my store does not carry a lot of what I want or see online. I look online and then I click to see if it's available at my store, and typically it isn't. So I order online.

Now 1 of 2 things happen next. If it's a brand I am familiar with, I can easily order my size and it will fit and I will be happy. But sometimes it's a new brand I am not familiar with, I really like the item and don't want to risk them selling out of the size that will fit me, so I order in 2 sizes and return one. Because I live so close I will usually return it in person.

If you are having online shopping, then this will happen (ordering 2 in 2 different sizes). No one likes to do this....I know I don't, but I have to in order to get the one that fits me.

What I never understood is why measurements are not included with the description. Nordies is usually great about stating how long a blouse or top is. But how wide is it? How long or short are the sleeves? (I have long arms), How wide are the sleeves? (I once bought a jacket online from Nordies and the sleeves were unbelievably narrow and tight). If the proper measurements were provided, I honestly feel this would help decrease the number of returns. This would be especially helpful because sometimes a brand will change fit models, and the fit of the item will be way off from what it used to be (this has happened to me with jeans).

Now people who return because they just wants to take a picture in it, or just abuse the return policy for whatever reason - they should be easy enough for the store to spot and ban. But like another poster said, if the stores weren't making money by selling online they would stop. And as another poster said, free shipping really isn't free. We all pay for it one way or another.

Oh and I will just add one more thing......I used to love shopping in the mall - loved it! But as they add onto the already sprawling malls, we loose parking spots. And if parking isn't easy, I won't go. Also I find more and more these days sales people who are borderline rude at times, busy chatting with other sales people, or don't care at all and must really dislike their job. These are things that have kept me from the malls.....and I live in an area where we have several malls to choose from within minutes of each other.

I order very little clothing online but whenever possible if I think there is any chance something won't work out, I buy from a company that has a local store so I can return there. There are a lot of companies that sell items on their websites that the stores don't carry.
I'd rather drive to the store and get the return done. Yes it might cost a couple of dollars in gas but I don't have to pay return shipping and I know the transaction is done. I'm usually going to have some reason to be driving that way other than this one return anyway.
What I return most often is cosmetics. Drugstore cosmetics don't have testers so there is really no way to know if they will be right unless you've purchased the same item in the same color before. Ironically NR is an exception on this one. Pretty much every drug store and retail chain accepts returns on makeup. But not NR.

 

[Annie J]

I think I will step back now, I seem to be returning to the same points

Good LORD I need a nap.
--
I think Nordstrom is a slow hand with banning. It takes really becoming noticeable to them. And it's their corporate call how they execute this, period full stop.

Lol! Yes, I feel quite exhausted myself with answering another poster’s complete misunderstanding of my earlier post, in my one that you selectively quote. I had been hoping to bring some cool logic to the discussion by highlighting that there’s actually very little to disagree about, and to encourage mutual respect.

You only quoted part of my sentence, of course. My actual words were:

I think I will step back now, I seem to be returning to the same points because some have been misunderstood.

I posted again at length because I preferred not to let the misapprehension stand or the whole effort would have been wasted. As I said, I have no intention of reiterating the thoughts again now that I’ve hopefully addressed misunderstandings of them. I’m still interested to take part in the discussion as other points arise.

 

[Annie J]

I order very little clothing online but whenever possible if I think there is any chance something won't work out, I buy from a company that has a local store so I can return there. There are a lot of companies that sell items on their websites that the stores don't carry.
I'd rather drive to the store and get the return done. Yes it might cost a couple of dollars in gas but I don't have to pay return shipping and I know the transaction is done. I'm usually going to have some reason to be driving that way other than this one return anyway.
What I return most often is cosmetics. Drugstore cosmetics don't have testers so there is really no way to know if they will be right unless you've purchased the same item in the same color before. Ironically NR is an exception on this one. Pretty much every drug store and retail chain accepts returns on makeup. But not NR.

This makes sense. It’s funny, as far as I can see in the UK not many places will accept cosmetic returns though, or maybe I just don’t shop at those places. Most of the shopping I do online is at online-only retailers, and it works conveniently for me because they send couriers for returns, so I don’t have the bother of the post office. I’m often immobilised so the whole delivery/simple returns policy is a huge consideration for me.

 

[JoeyLouis]

My return rates were lower before Marie Kondo came into my life.

I am now in between sizes and have to buy two pairs to figure out which will fit. Sometimes the quality or look is not as expected. Going to the store is overwhelming for me, so I buy online. Plus there is more selection online. So yeah, I buy online and return. If Nordstrom one day rejects me as a customer, I will be a little hurt. But I’ll move on to the next retailer.

 

[Annie J]

My return rates were lower before Marie Kondo came into my life.

I am now in between sizes and have to buy two pairs to figure out which will fit. Sometimes the quality or look is not as expected. Going to the store is overwhelming for me, so I buy online. Plus there is more selection online. So yeah, I buy online and return. If Nordstrom one day rejects me as a customer, I will be a little hurt. But I’ll move on to the next retailer.

It’s overwhelming for me too, I have quite limited mobility and stamina for physical shopping. And I’m always in between sizes. So simple returns policies are essential if I’m ever going to buy anything much ever, really.

 

[sdkitty]

My return rates were lower before Marie Kondo came into my life.

I am now in between sizes and have to buy two pairs to figure out which will fit. Sometimes the quality or look is not as expected. Going to the store is overwhelming for me, so I buy online. Plus there is more selection online. So yeah, I buy online and return. If Nordstrom one day rejects me as a customer, I will be a little hurt. But I’ll move on to the next retailer.

not sure I understand Marie Kondo reference......would this make you buy less?

 

[rutabaga]

I think Marie Kondo makes you think hard about what to keep and what to return, e.g. will this bring me joy? If not, return it. Doesn’t help that items are often not as pictured online.

I know I’m picky. If what I’m trying on isn’t better than what I currently own, I won’t buy it. When I shop in store I often go in the fitting room with ten items and none of them will work out. That would translate into a 100% return rate if done online.

 

[sdkitty]

I think Marie Kondo makes you think hard about what to keep and what to return, e.g. will this bring me joy? If not, return it. Doesn’t help that items are often not as pictured online.

I know I’m picky. If what I’m trying on isn’t better than what I currently own, I won’t buy it. When I shop in store I often go in the fitting room with ten items and none of them will work out. That would translate into a 100% return rate if done online.

same......I try on lots of items that don't look good....if you can tell looking on a hanger then how can you tell from a picture?

 

[honey52]

It’s insane. They seem like profession Instagram influencer types who are gaming the system.

Hoping so but consider if you like only did anniversary sales. You bought 10 things each year for 10 years. And only kept 1-2 things per year from that sale . That would kinda be in the 90’s percentile.

 

[honey52]

Hoping so but consider if you like only did anniversary sales. You bought 10 things each year for 10 years. And only kept 1-2 things per year from that sale . That would kinda be in the 90’s percentile.

Or more realistically if you bought 5 things during each anniversary sale, and decided to keep only 2-3 per year over a span of 10 years you’d be more or less in the 50% return rate.

And if you really were shopping for let’s say a dress for a wedding and bought 4 and chose the best out of the 4, rendering 3 returns and 1 purchase, you just upped your ante.

 

[SomethingGoodCanWork]

Here's the thing: a company can change its policies when it wants. It can enforce its policies however it wants. Customers do not have to like that. If a customer is doing something that is pushing away a customer who they feel is abusive, then it's quite likely the intent. They want you to stop what you're doing and/or go away. You are not that special to them. Yes, you are entitled to shop just as any other customer is, but if the company feels you are not worth the effort, then they don't care about pleasing you anymore.

It is nothing but willful ignorance masking entitlement to think that it is acceptable to buy a bunch of things and return 50% or more because "hey, that's shopping and the shipping is free and the customer is always right". I bet a lot of the people who think that way are also the Beckys who always need to speak with management for petty issues that they cause.

And the whole "if I don't allow customers to shop however they want, then I may go out of business" line is completely ridiculous. Customers who abuse return policies because "hey, it's their fault they made that the store policy" are costing the company money. If someone's concern is truly making sure that the company is able to stay in business, then they will not force the company to incur all sorts of fees because they insist on taking advantage of a store's generous policy.





Please stop misrepresenting the issue. No one said that customers are not entitled to shop online for things they cannot easily find in their own areas. You know as well as I do that was not the real issue being discussed. An honest approach to the discussion will recognize that the issue is that some people think that, because they cannot easily find some things, they have to end up shopping in an unreasonable manner that is abusing a company's policy.

And no one is actually saying that they think people should absolutely not buy anything online unless they are sure they are going to keep it. Again, that is being reductive of the overall argument.

Who are these "Beckys" you write about? You seem to not approve of them?

 

[Annie J]

Who are these "Beckys" you write about? You seem to not approve of them?

A photo of an alleged Becky has been posted on page 6. They certainly look scary. I try not to let myself think about them too much or I might have nightmares.

My Becky knowledge is limited, but I have found a bit of information online. I’ll try to condense it:

Disambiguation: Other subspecies of shopper who make returns for justifiable reasons according to retail policies are sometimes erroneously confused with true Beckys. Also, some individuals who exhibit occasional Becky-like behaviour are not generally considered true Beckys but may have developed Becky-mimicking behaviour as a result of the powerful environmental influences of social media and retailer strategies engineered to encourage high levels of shopping generally. People in this latter group are likely to be capable of halting further decline if approached with warnings and advice.

Beckys can be antisocial, this is widely accepted even by those who are not too alarmed by them. They are often characterised as ‘entitled’. They are believed by some to have significant effects on prices generally. This has not been objectively confirmed beyond doubt in peer-reviewed studies, largely because the calculations are more complex than at first sight, though some commercial interests have conducted their own private research which indicate some impact, and have developed successful anti-Becky mitigation measures to limit potential damage in the case of widespread exposure to Beckys, while retaining good business health. Some return policies were not Becky-proof, but more modern policies are evolving even as we speak. There is speculation that some retailers still prefer to retain a liberal policy because it is good for business overall, Beckys notwithstanding.

Some consumers believe Beckys may actually even have some minor positive effects on the retail environment as some Beckys quite commonly insist on their consumer rights to a very high degree.

For those who are not professional retailers but are very concerned about the impact of Beckys, simple recommended techniques for dealing with Becky anxiety include thought-stopping of catastrophizing responses and/or gradual exposure which can both help to reassure that the aggregated actions of Beckys do not have quite the powerful and far-reaching effects we are afraid of, but are a natural part of retail ecology, kept in check by the adaptations of the industry. This method proceeds along similar lines to dealing with fear of bugs, fear of flying, etc.

Those with intractable Becky phobia and who still suffer uncomfortable stress responses despite all other measures are able to practice avoidance. Some find buying and returning only online helps, and others that blocking suspected Beckys on social media reduces stress levels.

 

[A1aGypsy]

The term “Becky” is often used in a dehumanizing derogatory way to refer to woman, especially in incel groups or on reddit.

I’m not one to tell others how to speak but I find it’s use around here a bit disturbing, personally.

 

[Annie J]

The term “Becky” is often used in a dehumanizing derogatory way to refer to woman, especially in incel groups or on reddit.

I’m not one to tell others how to speak but I find it’s use around here a bit disturbing, personally.

Thanks for posting that! I didn’t know it myself. I’m not on any social media apart from this and haven’t come across this term elsewhere, maybe it’s more common in the US than the UK, or just more widely known by younger people than me. I clearly should have done more actual research before posting using the term from the post where it first appeared a few pages back, and I’m sorry I didn’t. My intentions were quite the opposite of pejorative. I was responding to someone else’s humorous response to an earlier post where the term was indeed used in a pejorative and categorising way.

Unfortunately the time has expired for editing that post, or I’d go back and add a disclaimer about the word!

I was aiming to make gentle fun of the use of the term and take some of the sting out of exaggerated categorising generalisations about people and about the issue discussed in this thread. I hope that’s still clear and that nobody thinks I was intending to stereotype and be pejorative about anybody that term gets commonly used against.

I would also find the term or any other like it disturbing and apologise if it looked as if I was using it that way: it was not intended.

 

[3threebabies]

I am Gen X, definitely not a millennial; but I have worked at a relatively high level in luxury boutique fashion (shoe and handbag girl heaven) in extremely affluent NYC suburbs. If I have ever seen reference to Betty before, it was in passing as a pejorative. I have never heard it as a an official term in marketing or any other aspect of retail selling. In my experience, retailers work more to bring in new buyers than worry about discouraging bad ones. Which supports most of my thoughts for this thread. Nordstrom takes banning very seriously and does not enforce lightly.

Based on its use here, I would say that flippant use of the term Betty is an example of entitlement and self-centeredness to the nth degree. Ironically, the behavior that those who scurrilously use the term wish to prevent. I would definitely not place @Annie J or @A1aGypsy in that category. They used the term for informative and educational purposes.

ETA. I put wrong gen reference! Silly me!