Indeed this is a very common practice in the high end fashion business where people use personal stylists to help them pick clothes. The stylist grabs a bunch o

Indeed this is a very common practice in the high end fashion business where people use personal stylists to help them pick clothes. The stylist grabs a bunch of products for the client, sends them "on memo" or "on consignment" and they pay for only what they don't return. Even when you're dealing with clients for whom floating a few thousand dollars is no big deal, the psychological impact of not actually hitting their card until the return is compelling enough to retailers that they are willing to give up the inventory for that 5 to 10 day period.