Changing Their Minds Costs Retailers £12m Every Week
By Bernice Hurst, Managing Director, Fine Food Network
Another day, another consumer study. This time, TOTAL, the world's fourth largest energy group and Europe's leading fuels refiner, asked British pollsters YouGov to question just under 2,000 adults about their shopping habits. The findings of what marketing executive, Neil Robinson, described as "a light-hearted look into the shopping habits of Brits...indicate that the UK is a Refund Nation, where British shoppers are open to trying new things, but enjoy the freedom of returning purchases if there is a change of mind."
Essentially, Total's research revealed that "eight out of ten shoppers admit to returning products in pursuit of a refund and more than two million would bend the truth to get their cash back, putting more than £12 million a week back into their pockets."
In some cases, shoppers shopped because they enjoy the activity and had no intention of keeping what they purchased. Some of the behavior was described as mischievous but others admitted to telling blatant lies, with women far more willing to be devious. Men are often more "aggressive in vocalizing their displeasure, being far more likely to pursue all avenues available to get their money re-credited."
Reasons given varied from not wanting to try clothes on in the shop to changing their minds in the harsh light of home or receiving unwanted gifts. Some people admitted to not being able to afford shopping but enjoying it so much they buy an item only to get it refunded later.
Top refund lies in the study included:
Pretending an item was a gift;
Buying something at full price, then returning it to buy the same item at a discount;
Purchasing two sets of clothing (e.g. bikinis or footwear) and then returning one item of each size, pretending they were mismatched at purchase;
Deliberately damaging an item;
Altering an item of clothing to fit, then returning it (e.g. shortening trousers)
In spite of this, the survey also found that three out of ten Brits "simply can't be bothered" to return genuinely faulty items.
Discussion questions: Are returns and refunds part of the shopping thrill? Should retailers take them in good heart or find some way to discourage customers bringing back purchases whether their reasons are acceptable or "mischievous?"