Trying on a dress for size is a shopping habit as old as the fashion industry itself. However, the practice is under threat as retailers start to fight back against the growing cost of online returns. Some retailers are even going as far as banning customers from their websites because of the numbers of clothes they order with little or no intention of keeping. A survey has found that a fifth of stores have made their returns policy more stringent over the past year, with a further fifth planning to do so in the next 12 months to try to deter “serial returners”. Stores complained that some shoppers were wearing an item once and then returning it and asking for a refund. They said that
A fifth of UK retailers have tightened their returns policies over the past year , with a further fifth planning to implement similar strategies within 12 months , according to a survey by Barclaycard . The trend is a backlash against ' serial returners ' , with some retailers purchasing items to return once before returning them for a second , while others intentionally over - order . The policy of free returns , which many retailers expect as standard , is hurting retailers ' business , but also has an environmental impact . Fashion retailer Gap reported average emissions of 3.8 kg per delivery , with total emissions reaching 236,720 mt last year .