I recovered and saved some money this month.
Thanks to the hassle-free culture of buying and returning goods. It happens and is often experienced by most of us, especially during this time of the year.
A few clothing items got returned. I liked them in the store, but not at home; they did not fit or whatever the logic to do the return. The customer services clerk asked for no reason. A calm and smooth transaction happened with a polite exchange of thanks and “you’re welcome.”
I think nowhere else in the world, except here in Canada and the USA, the return policy of most stores is so liberal that it has become part of our shopping customs. After all, the return is as cheery and relieving as buying.
But sometimes, the return practice is taken advantage of and abused because of the “full-money back guarantees’ declaration. That means the right to return, usually without any argumentation.
After all, “the customer is always right.”
The customer may be “always right,” but occasionally, the return habit leads to exploitation.
A friend of mine once boasted that he returned his toothbrush after several days of use. The reason, the bristles on the brush were not ‘soft.” The guy was happy; he got his $1.20 back.
But I had a different experience once. The pant I returned at the Bay differed from the ones I bought. Somehow, by mistake, I took out an old pair of black pants with my comb and handkerchief in my pockets and returned to the store with a full refund. The store clerk only saw the receipt, with a “no problem and thank you expression” and he took the pant back. The next day, I realized the blunder and went back to the store, but “nothing sir, we can do, it is all gone, you keep the money, we keep your old pant, wherever it is.”
Usually, the returned items are put back on the store’s shelf. But, as I watched a CBC documentary a while ago, many things are recycled or dumped for whatever reason.
And that could be the fate of my friend’s toothbrush and my pant.
-Promod Puri
Promod Puri.com 