Dress code

A while back I was wandering around Nordstrom and came upon a rack of clothes with this tag, which must still be attached if someone wants to return it to the store for a refund:

Here's the thing: the tag is on the exterior of the dresses.

There is a class of women who think nothing of purchasing an article of (usually high-end) clothing (and by "purchasing" I mean handing over some form of money to a shop clerk), wearing it on one or more occasions and then returning it for a refund. Typically, in order to get the refund, the price tag must still be attached. With most tags either inside the collar or at the sleeve/cuff, these women just endure the annoyance of the tag rubbing against them for the length of the special occasion in order to get the "free" schmattes.

And Nordstrom with its essentially no-questions-asked returns policy is a particular target. A few years ago I read a story in the Seattle Times about people's strategies for dealing with a tight economy. One woman flat-out stated that this was her way to save money (and still look sharp). She at least had enough shame to insist on anonymity.

So I found it interesting that the manufacturer has built in a mechanism that should foil this kind of gaming the system.