Reader Nick’s mother bought a coat that was on clearance at Sears. A week later she saw that the coat had been marked down even further, so she brought it back and asked if she could return it and then buy it again for the cheaper price.

That’s where it got a little weird. Rather than just saying “no,” the Sears employee processed the return, then told Nick’s mother she couldn’t have the coat back. Nick’s mom then asked her to call the whole thing off, void the return and give her the coat. Sears refused.

Nick writes:

My mother has always been a Sears customer. She regularly shops there at least once a week. Recently she purchased a beautiful winter coat on clearance, at a price of $35, marked down from $150. She was so excited to have found the perfect coat to wear next winter.

A week later she goes in to see the same coat, different size at $15. So my mother naturally wanted to get some kind of reimbursement. She brings in the never worn coat and the original receipt. She explained to the associate that she wanted to return and repurchase it. After the return is completed, the associate explains that my mother “could not repurchase the coat because of store policies.”

That obviously made no sense to my mother because somebody else was going to buy it at the same lower price. My mother explained her story once more, then asked for the manager. The manager also said my mother couldn’t repurchase it. My mother was not angry, just confused. She watched as another associate took the coat away from the counter and bring it into the back.

My mother then asked to just cancel the return, so she could just keep the coat, all she wanted was a coat for next winter. Working in retail, I know how simple the “post void” would have been. The manager explained the coat had to go to the “return processing center,” which made no sense to my mother who saw a dress on the floor she returned the day before. My mother at that point was mad. She just wanted the coat!

She approached several associates on the floor asking them where the “return processing center” was, nobody knew.

Finally she asked where the returns go, the answer from several associates, “right back to the floor.”

Do sears employees find pleasure in torturing customer?

The Sears employee should have just told your mother that Sears doesn’t have a price guarantee on clearance items and left it at that. Refusing to void the transaction and hiding the coat is just mean, not to mention bad for Sears. Stores don’t put things on clearance because they don’t want to sell them.

If we were you, we’d try to kick this complaint upstairs to the bigwigs, although we have to warn you that Sears rarely responds. Here’s some contact information you might want to try.

(Photo:nelsonminar)

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