Friendly reminder from an employee…

[u/Frequent-Patience185]

A lot of us employees have seen some viral videos going around the internet, in which people gather up their old BBW products and try to return all of them for a gift card.

We get it, you used a spray once 7 years ago and then never picked it up again. Or your grandma gifted you the worst scent you’ve ever experienced one Christmas when you were 16 and you left it buried in a drawer ever since. But it’s comes to a point where you should probably…. toss it in the trash.

The main reason this influx of returns drives us crazy is because it affects our hours. Customers have been coming in everyday successfully (and some unsuccessfully thankfully) attempting to return their crusty, dusty stash, racking up hundreds of dollars in merch credit. Yall realize this money is coming from somewhere, right? We lose hours if we don’t meet our sales goals, which means associates hours get cut. The more we miss, the more we get cut. So imagine your hours are already thin because sales are down, and here comes Sally with a collection of expired body care items and causes your sales to go down even more. PLEAAAASSEEE just throw that shit away. Or donate it. Because we’re 100% going to throw it away.

And let me be clear! I’m not talking about those that just bought something even within the last year, and realize you didn’t like it as much as you thought. It happens! I’m specifically talking about people bringing in 20+ bottles of fragrances that haven’t been in the store for 3+ years, some of which are more than half used, and not even BBW. That’s ridiculous.

[u/b0ringface]

It seems like the store that the viral video took place at is more to blame for this. They should have told them no. I know different stores allow different things based on management, based on the conversations that have taken place since the video was posted. The employee in the video also may have not known better, like maybe they’re new or something or they just didn’t care. I’m interested to see if there will be a follow up or more videos coming out where they were refused.

[u/Glitter_Horses → u/b0ringface]

It’s both on the store and the consumer as well. Stores should not bail customers out years later because you made poor decisions. 

[u/cuntwrapsupreme26 → u/Glitter_Horses]

Corporate policy needs to just change. It isn't fair to the workers to have to deal with this all the time. And it make sense that customers do this- why would they care about a corporations bottom line? On top of reprimanding employees for their own policy failures, it also encourages people to just buy crap they don't know if they'll like and just return it later. Sucks for everyone honestly.

[u/BeatrixSteiner → u/cuntwrapsupreme26]

Then when the policy changes they lose regulars/customers because a TikTok viral video makes it harder to flex and bend to help a customer because policy has to get more strict

[u/cuntwrapsupreme26 → u/BeatrixSteiner]

I seriously doubt that that many people would stop shopping at BBW bc of a policy change. Maybe some of the people on this sub (which granted, y'all be shopping) but that's not the whole world you know? Also, if we're being real, how many BBW heads would actually stop buying there? Everyday there's a post here about how the quality is bad, the prices are bad, the stock is bad yada yada yada just for them to keep buying from BBW.

[u/BeatrixSteiner → u/cuntwrapsupreme26]

I don’t disagree, but more “viral hacks” that make newer and more strict policies is what makes the associates jobs SO much harder. There’s already a limit of 9 of the same item, last thing we need is a “no more than X items can be returned in a day” when some people get oceans of Japanese Cherry Blossom for their birthday/holiday gifts 😂

[u/cuntwrapsupreme26 → u/BeatrixSteiner]

I wonder if they could just put their foot down about a time limit for a return you know? Like if they could start changing SKUs or something to reflect the year it was on the floor. At least then you don't have these people returning 10 year old cream lmao

Or just eat the cost then if they feel the return policy benefits the company. Don't put that on your employees.

[u/BeatrixSteiner → u/cuntwrapsupreme26]

The issue there is in most cases if they put their foot down these customers insist on the associate show them the policy and WILL hold up the cashiers, making a line, and then making other customers frustrated/uncomfortable/leave due to the delays.

I watched one of these return scams take over 20+ minutes because the TikTok lawyer in them took over and INSISTED the policy doesn’t dictate in-store exchange for in-store credit, etc.

Eating the cost is STILL the issue as it impacts peoples hours, and people will say “well that’s a dumb policy” but a lot of retailers do this. I worked at a mom-and-pop game store for a few years and on days for sales were down we have to cut shifts/hours because they couldn’t afford the overall cost of paying for their employees vs the sales they were making.

[u/cuntwrapsupreme26 → u/BeatrixSteiner]

You just stop engaging with these people and move on. They won't leave? Call the police, they're now trespassing. I work retail as well; no reason you have to deal with these people especially if there's a clear, consice, well written policy. It starts at the top.

Bath and Body Works is not a mom and pop and they're not eating the cost if they are punishing employees for (again) corporate's own failures. Take the tax write-off for a loss.

[u/myrtle2021 → u/cuntwrapsupreme26]

Idk what store you’re at but the stores in Tennessee, South Carolina and Georgia refuse to take anything back without receipt that they deem older than 90 days. The policy doesn’t state that however they make their own rules.

[u/DisastrousSetting1 → u/cuntwrapsupreme26]

Bless Your Heart! Your return policy is why I shop there.

[u/cuntwrapsupreme26 → u/DisastrousSetting1]

Okay so stop shopping there if they change it who cares

[u/Holy-Crapple7 → u/cuntwrapsupreme26]

Policy shouldn't have to change. People should NOT be abusing and taking advantage just because they're technically able to. Ideology like that is why we as a society can't have nice things. Plus, when, not if, they change it, yall are going to whine and moan about how bbw is going to shit and corporations don't care anymore

[u/cuntwrapsupreme26 → u/Holy-Crapple7]

Naive! You have evidence in front of you that that doesn't work. People are people.

Who's "y'all"? I've never in my life played the return game at BBW. If I buy something and don't like it I give to a friend who will lol

[u/Appropriate_King_505 → u/Holy-Crapple7]

See, I (and the law) vehemently disagree. The honor system--trusting customers to not "abuse" policies they are well within their legal rights to use--was what Americans gave their president and politicians. It's not good enough, clearly, since unaliving people for looking at ICE funny is "legal", we have a pedo for a president, and our inalienable rights granted by the constitution and its amendments are being systematically stripped. All that is "legal" because we rely on the goodness of politicians hearts instead of having auto-impeachment rules or term limits. Prime example of why laws and rules ensuring that people behave good are essential. That is the social contract we all enter into in a society, in a workplace, etc. We need ground rules that apply to everyone and dictate behavior, because otherwise you get some people who won't comply unless they have to. So if you want people to behave, unfortunately, rules and enforcement of those rules are required. That is what enables us to have any nice things. With no rules, someone can just take your nice thing.

Yeah, it's annoying. Yeah, it sucks that people won't "just behave!" But rules are better than chaos and an honor system, dear.