Consider this your unofficial FIDSTORY fashion designer guarantee: I will now get furious texts from stylist friends when this posts. But y’know what? Newsflash: I’m terrible at keeping secrets that might allow people to shop more creatively and sustainably.
Consider yourselves warned. This is happening. Three years ago, I was griping to stylist friend Sarah ; yeah, Sarah, I’m looking at you ; about how hard it was to find anything that felt special outside of big brands’ flagrant tourist traps.
Basically, every unique, exciting thing at thrift stores was already gone, but shopping ethically still meant ending up with a bunch of basics from modest sustainable brands that all looked the same. And don’t get me started on how long it takes to find anything thrifted when you need something for a specific occasion. “You know about the hospital?” she asked with a chuckle when I ranted about how impossible it was to find cool, exciting clothes in Seattle that weren’t some itchyKnowledge Network shirt nobody’s ever going to see because of Instagram holes.
“God, Laura.
You are such a naive bitch.” If you don’t know about hospital clothing sections, you’ve been unknowingly trolling the best-hidden secret in retail these past few years.
Allow me to impart what Sarah taught me that day over pricy coffee in Capitol Hill: Stores have returns sections. Like, yeah, obviously.
But you’re not thinking about these returns sections hard enough. They’re not the blue-label_CLEARANCE_IF_YOU_CAN_READ_THIS sign rack markdowns everyone knows about. STALK THEIR RETURNS.
The thing with returns sections (sales associates also sometimes call them “the hospital” because returned clothes are “sick,” or “purgatory” because they’re stuck there until stores decide what to do with them) is that the stuff being returned isn’t random. Most style-ahead purchases from the latest deliveries happen immediately because of exciting window shopping or online deals. So guess who winds up with all the cool stuff?
Whenever something high-style or limited catches someone’s eye online or in stores, chances are someone else regrets their purchase when they get home. Enter: hospital fills. Friends, I geeked out HARD when I learned this.
Started asking associates at Nordstrom, Zara, Target: where’s the hospital? I discovered overflowing racks of crazy stuff usually relegated to a corner or hidden closet with little to no signage. Most of these cuts came from the most recent deliveries becauseтом размеромwhy do your clothes shrink in the dryer?whatever.
Trends kept showing up in the hospital first, sorted together by whoever decided distressed jeans from multiple brands all looked sorta similar and could hang out together. It was a goldmine. The first thing I ripped from the hospital was a coat at the downtown H&M.
Needed something to wear to ; gasp! ; a sustainable fashion roundtable and texted Sarah if she had any secrets. She told me to ASK STORE ASSOCIATES if they’ve had any recent returns. Sure enough, an associate directed me to a pile of crap I probably walked past fifty times near customer service.
Wedged between oversized white t-shirts was this epic jacket from H&M’s latest Studio collection. The perfectly-my-size, mega-oversized blazer that sold out online minutes after it dropped. Someone ordered it online, tried it on and decided it wasn’t practical enough to wear to work in Seattle.
But because our-unit stores don’t honour online returns, Sar sequined_covered_in_glitter_numbers are back in stock?? sales associate returned it to H&M U District, and I was there to scoop it up. I wore that blazer to the panel and received more compliments than any other clothing item I’d spent triple the price on from so-called ethical brands. Prompted intense feelings of guilt at my hypocrisy.
But also kept thinking HOW does someone buy that; never wear it in public; AND THEN RETURN IT?!?! ? Here’s the thing: regular folks being into crazy, high-fashion takes pre-curates the selections you’re about to find. If someone rifling through returns finds something boring or basic, they keep it.
Case in point: I asked Sarah where she found that blouse Ian’s wearing and nearly got assaulted for trying to divulge store secrets. Sarah shops hospitals regularly, which means she’s not shy about returning unwanted purchases. She’s come across so many hidden gems in them that she probably would’ve kept that blazer had she tried it on and not loved it as much as I do.
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My former Forever 21 store manager told me her coolest trick was saving interesting returns for her personal customers. She knew they understood returned stuff often didn’t come back down to floor-level prices becauseReturn?? YES.
YOU JUST RETURNED THAT expensive enough, people felt bad spending money on correcting “small mistakes” the clothes may have.What I’m trying to say is that this trick works because honest-to-God style-ahead shoppers already got there first. And I’m no longer mad about it. Turns out this trick is excellent for resale.
Throwing unpopular items into a giant grimy-ass rack together also happens at Nordstrom Rack and hell if I haven’t scored Nordstrom-brand Ann Demeulemeester-esque blazers and then some from their returns section. Don’t worry, I sweated through enough of them to confirm they were the real deal before popping into my Permanent Collection. Asking strangers where to find cool stuff scored me a hard return of Ellipses Stephen West I originally bought during her Layover collection restock and returned because narrow where’s my chai tea latte???
I’m positive saved me at least $100. Just kidding Sarah. I love you forever.
It also works at thrift stores! If something doesn’t sell during the week, it gets added to that big jumbled mess we all know and love. High-style, limited-edition merch that thrift shoppers passed up ends up together based on geography + return day.
I can’t promise your local mamie tu’ll have the same luck poking through bins for WTF vintage clothing sections like I have, but it can’t hurt to look. Most sustainable brands that popped up pre-Rana Plaza will have XSXSXSmall returns for the same reason severely misgendering me refuses to leave my brain. Be nice to sales associates.
Learn their names. Ask them specifically if they’ve had any returns that day/week/month. Flattery gets you everywhere, am I right?
Bring a friend that appreciates art to look through returns with, also. Two sets of eyes never hurt anyone. Days matter.
So does time of year. Mondays and Tuesdays are historically best for returns after weekend shoppers regret purchases. Returns skyrocket after holidays, so January, February, and post-September are great.
Don’t completely write off local boutique shops either.
While small businesses rarely offer insane discounts on returns, they still happen.
Ask your favourite clothing-store employee where to FIND THE COOL SHIT because chances are they love shopping their returns section just as much as we do.
One former shop owner told me people are more apt to keep designer purchases and return them instead of trying to find a helpful pair of eyes if something doesn’t fit/show/taste right the first time. Shop returns like you would regular clothing racks. Try things on.
Yes, even if it’s from H&M! Just because something was returned doesn’t mean it didn’t get worn, so play it safe if you need to. Moral of the story: stop worrying about “spoiling” the coolest pieces.
Stuff gets returned ALL THE TIME, especially online orders where sizing discrepancies occur most. Someone buying your size in three brands decides your favourite jacket isn’t cool enough to wear in public for whatever reason. Boom.
It’s yours. Shop fluidly my friends, and keep-stocking up on those Ziploc bags for when you score.
