RIP: Returned Undies Get Shredded at Gilly Hicks

'Down Undies' by Gilly Hicks

Call me naïve, but I always wondered how women tried on underwear in stores. Do they go back on shelves as if nothing? I had no clue what happened to tried on undies until very recently. There is a curious practice going on at Gilly Hicks, the cheeky cousin of Abercrombie & Fitch. Undies are not allowed to be tried on in store, but Gilly Girls can try them on at home and then return the undies to the store where associates put them away for shredding.

What difference does it make, then, if they are tried on in store or at home? They are still going to be shredded, so they might as well be tried on in store. But the thing is, then everybody would be running in and out trying on everything, every time - oh, the slaughter of undies that would then ensue! So the current policy does make some sense in that it makes the consumer more careful on selecting a size (eliminating the constant runs to the changing room). On the other hand, however, it is down right wasteful! Why not simply introduce a non-refundable policy on them? Since the consumer is already more likely to purchase the right size in the first place…food for thought.