My mom rationalizes by saying the impulse buying inspired by liberal return policies more than offsets the cost of "renters," and that retailers who abet carefree consumerism can afford the hassle.

She once made me return read books to Borders for her as a teenager! I got the evil eye and "we're not a library." So embarrassing.

unless its a tuxedo shop, i think its wrong to for a person to "rent" clothing he or she can't afford and has no intention of keeping. seems a little desperate.

Last time I was in a certain, pretty expensive chain clothing store, while i was checking out, a cashier was about to stock a return from a customer who had left the store. She smelled it and said, "This smells like smoke. She wore this out." The other cashier (maybe her boss?) said, "Just hang it up to air it out." Ewwww. They're going to just sell a shirt that has been worn (and to a smokey bar, no less) but not properly cleaned. I have a problem with both parties in this instance. Also, it was just some orange button-down shirt, so it seemed a weird item to buy for the purpose of returning.

sadly, I had a friend in high school who did that all the time.

And, I worked in retail in college and every clothing store I worked for (including the lingerie store, seriously) had a policy of accepting almost any returns. I once witnessed a woman returning children's shoes to J.C. Penny that clearly had been worn, and worn out. She was making such a scene, the manager just accepted them and gave the woman a store credit.

So, I am all for retailers taking steps to hamper shoppers' ability to engage in such. I just don't want it to be tougher for indecisive people like me (who needs to look at dress for weeks before i can decide if i like it and it fits and whether i should keep it) to unshop when needed.

To me, returning an item that you wore for one event is really theft of services. If you only want to wear something once, then go to Goodwill or a thrift shop and buy something used.
Despite what these unethical people think, they are in essence robbing us, the customers. If the retailer can't resell it then they absorb the loss and pass it on to the customer. If it is resold, then the customer is buying something used without their knowledge.
I have no use or patience for unethical people, of which our society is seeing more and more of. This "me first" agenda has got to go!

Oh great. Thanks for programming unshopping (great term, btw) into my anxiety channel. Now I'm never going to be able to buy "new" clothes again unless I see them come off the factory line. That'll cost me a ton in travel expenses. Talk about passing costs on to the consumer.
They can't unshop food can they? I don't want someone else's partially chewed hoagie!

Retail goods are expensive these days, whether it's a new pair of jeans, a digital camera, or running shoes. While I want to know that my new purchase is factory fresh and has been inspected by quality controllers, that's as far as I'd like the traveling pants/camera/shoes to go.

I also want to know that if I buy a product and then change my mind, I won't someday have to jump through hoops to return it because of this type of behavior. Buying with the intent to use and return is theft - it removes stock from a retailer, preventing them from otherwise making a legitimate sale.

Thanks, JL! Sadly, other people seem to think it means the avoidance of shopping, which probably comes with its own feelings of virtuous superiority.

And although unshopped foodstuffs seem unlikely, let's just say I recommend you thoroughly wash all newly purchased specialty kitchen appliances, particularly those that would be a popular addition to a party such as fondue pots or chocolate fountains. I'm just saying ...