Bad experience with Sierra Trading Post

[deaddog]

I have been a big STP customer since the pre-Internet days. One huge plus with STP was their liberal return policy - particularly useful because STP provides very little detail on sizing and their customer service reps know very little on sizing. For example, I have tried to obtain measurements dozens of times to no avail. I have also tried to learn Euro sizing for pieces and they were unable to provide the info.

So, I do what STP encourages you to do -order anyway and return that which doesn't fit. I did this a bunch over the past year as I attempted to find an overcoat.. To be clear, I return stuff promptly, unworn, with original tags. And, I'm certain that I have kept at least $20,000 worth of merchandise over the years; although I have probably returned even more because I usually buy two sizes even of stuff I end up keeping.

Well, apparently STP's friendly, no questions asked return policy is jsut a marketing ploy. Today I received an email from STP telling me that my return rate was excessive and stating that "it may be best for us to discontinue our business relationship."

Has anybody else received a similar email from STP? Do they really refuse your business?

 

[gdl203]

Yes there was a similar story from another SFer last year. Long thread with a variety of opinions.

 

[Shikar]

Originally Posted by gdl203

Yes there was a similar story from another SFer last year. Long thread with a variety of opinions.

Yup.

Regards.

 

[gdl203]

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=112376

 

[makewayhomer]

well, returns do cost the company money (processing, inventory control, return shipping, etc). if your cost to them > your contributed margin, meh. smarter companies are doing more and more of "firing" their worst customers. in sports betting, for example, online books routinely ban people they are losing money to. that is a different example, but the idea is the same.

if you take it to the extreme - someone who buys $10m worth of items a year, and returns 100% of it - you could clearly see how it could be a problem. now, where they draw the line in real life in returns vs customer profitability is...who knows.

 

[DocHolliday]

How many overcoats did you buy and return? Were you using free shipping coupons?

 

[Trompe le Monde]

you kept 20k, but how much did you return?


back when i bought shoes from zappos (

), they had good grounds to do the same to me.

 

[winston]

Just start a new account, get new credit card, move house, etc and you're good to start again.

 

[ZON_JR]

Companies with generous return policies do not want them to be used. They don't expect customers to order, say, 7 overcoats and keep the one that might fit. They are consumer confidence boosters, not shopping tools.

Department stores used to work this way back when they had their own delivery trucks and look what happened to them.

 

[philosophe]

If you've kept far more than you've returned, write letter to the pres of STP and see what happens.

 

[LA Guy]

I've read all of these threads, and I'd like to point out that all retail ventures only work within a specific cultural context - apart from pricing and return policies, a retailer must assume a pattern of customer behavior. This is why most retailers must do a lot of legwork to be successful in a new market. To give the most obvious example, this is why sneakers stores often have security guards and security tags on anything over $100, while there is no visible security at de Corato stores, with $350 Borrelli shirts being the lowest priced merchandise besides... socks. To give a truly

example - at Sephora stores across the USA, there are tons of sample bottles. The customer tries out a bunch, finds one she likes, buys it. Done. Sounds pretty straightforward, right? Well, it turns out that Spainairds are, by-and-large, cheap bastards, and young madrilenos were going to Sephora and putting on their favorite scent before hitting the town. After all, why pay for the cow when you can get the milk for free, right?

Tailored clothing comprises only a very small fraction of STP's merchandise. A lot of their inventory is outdoor clothing and gear, and I imagine that the rate of return in these categories is much lower. Returns cost money. Restocking fees add up. Shipping fees add up. Credit card fees add up. Not to mention that 75% return rates are going to wreak havoc on your cash flow given that they have a 6 month return period. There is a reason that sites like Yoox only allow 14 days. STP is doing pretty well, overall, and it makes little sense to change their return policies because a bunch of clothing nerds are order 3 of everything, and then returning at least 2 of them. If I were the retailer, I would just cut off such customers. Yeah, they might be pissed, but I'd much rather piss off a few problem customers than take the nice things away from good customers.

 

[LA Guy]

Originally Posted by philosophe

If you've kept far more than you've returned, write letter to the pres of STP and see what happens.

I'll bet you one good bottle of wine (non-returnable) that the response won't be to the OP's liking.

 

[lee_44106]

STP is a business,not a charity.

 

[TheWraith]

Originally Posted by LA Guy

I'll bet you one good bottle of wine (non-returnable) that the response won't be to the OP's liking.

If they even get a response.

 

[deaddog]

I'm surprised at the vehemence of many of the responses (particularly in the other thread). I'll make only two points in response:

1. I consider "abusers" of a return policy such as STP's to be those people who actually use/wear an item and then seek a return. Note that STP permits this. I don't consider prompt returns of unused/unworn items to be an abuse, particularly when a significant percentage are even unopened (for example, order the medium and the large, try on the large, it fits, don't bother opening the medium). Obviously, most of you disagree.

2. I'd estimate that at least half (by $ value) of my purchases (including stuff ultimately returned) was of outdoor gear (that is, non-SF wear). Gore-tex is very expensive.