Bloomingdales Seeks an End to Wardrobing

You might not have heard the term, but you can bet your bottom dollar that Bloomingdale's has. Furthermore, they've had quite enough of it. "Wardrobing" is the practice of buying an expensive clothing item, wearing it once, and then returning it for full credit the next day.

It's essentially borrowing an outfit for a day at no cost. It's typically the type of clothing that you might wear to a wedding or prom.

Though unethical, it might seem innocent enough. But it adds up. According to the National Retail Federation, the practice costs retailers upwards of $9BN each year. Yes, you read it right, that's nine billion dollars in a single year.

Bloomingdale's is one retailer that believes it has the answer to wardrobing. Store are attaching three-inch removable plastic tags to noticeable places on clothing most likely to be used for wardrobing. Consumers can remove the tags once they get home, but the items cannot be removed from the store once they're gone.

Bloomingdales in advertising its new policy in stores and online: "Please note that this dress will be delivered with a black b-tag attached, with instructions for removal included. If the b-tag is removed, the dress cannot be returned."

Bloomingdales' wardrobing policy is the most direct. Other retailers have taken more discrete action like placing the names of frequent wardrobers on their sales records. A return pops a red flag and a return may be denied.

That's just one more aspect of retail fulfillment to worry about but there are always third-party partners around to help you take the load off. Learn more about our B2B fulfillment services and don't hesitate to contact Capacity if you could use some help.