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To me, this is the line of reasoning that happens when you start with a bad idea and build reasonable steps on top of it. Ordering several items with the intent

To me, this is the line of reasoning that happens when you start with a bad idea and build reasonable steps on top of it. Ordering several items with the intention of returning all but one is a rational response to a problem caused by an idea that's flawed from the beginning. Online shopping for clothes is a bad idea because, as a rule, you can't try stuff before buying. The solution would be to have physical stores - it would be good for your neighborhood, reduces waste, can be quick, etc. However, it turns out that customers would rather not leave the comfort of their computers to go to the nearest shopping mall, so instead we'll send the stuff to them with free returns to make up for the fact that this is not an efficient method of buying clothes. We generate a ridiculous amount of garbage out of perfectly good items, we burn a whole lot of fossil fuels sending them back and forth, we destroy the neighborhood economy, and we lose a lot of money and time in the process. All of that to make a bad idea seem good. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

jrussino 3y ago
It turns out that customers would rather not spend extra time getting measured and then waiting for garments to be custom-made, so instead we'll ship large quantities of pre-made generic clothing in every possible size to a store in a shopping mall and then let them drive there, park, try on, buy the ones they like best (or move on to the next store), and drive home. We generate a ridiculous amount of garbage with all of the packaging and unsold inventory and the cheaply-made clothes that get worn out and discarded more frequently, and we burn a whole lot of fossil fuels shipping those products from factories to warehouses to shopping malls and making people drive to those malls, park, drive home, we take work away from tailors and seamstresses and homemakers, and people waste time and money in the process... Not saying you're entirely wrong, but it's interesting to see how quickly the "new thing" becomes the "old thing" that's getting disrupted.
HeyLaughingBoy 3y ago
> The solution would be to have physical stores Now I think that's the bad idea and the solution is shopping online.
toast0 3y ago
The problem is variety. Are your stores going to stock all the clothing items I need? What if I'm outside the normal size ranges? What if my fashion preferences aren't the global or local trends? What if I'm traveling to Australia and need flipped season wear? (Although I read an article that some stores in Florida stock based what people traveling from South America will want to bring back)
antihero 3y ago
Having the selection desired to everyone in every neighbourhood is not only impossible but vastly more inefficient to having the selection desired by everyone available online and only the ones people want delivered and collected. Returns of course need to be handled better in order to prevent waste.

jrussino 3y ago

It turns out that customers would rather not spend extra time getting measured and then waiting for garments to be custom-made, so instead we'll ship large quantities of pre-made generic clothing in every possible size to a store in a shopping mall and then let them drive there, park, try on, buy the ones they like best (or move on to the next store), and drive home. We generate a ridiculous amount of garbage with all of the packaging and unsold inventory and the cheaply-made clothes that get worn out and discarded more frequently, and we burn a whole lot of fossil fuels shipping those products from factories to warehouses to shopping malls and making people drive to those malls, park, drive home, we take work away from tailors and seamstresses and homemakers, and people waste time and money in the process... Not saying you're entirely wrong, but it's interesting to see how quickly the "new thing" becomes the "old thing" that's getting disrupted.

HeyLaughingBoy 3y ago

> The solution would be to have physical stores Now I think that's the bad idea and the solution is shopping online.

toast0 3y ago

The problem is variety. Are your stores going to stock all the clothing items I need? What if I'm outside the normal size ranges? What if my fashion preferences aren't the global or local trends? What if I'm traveling to Australia and need flipped season wear? (Although I read an article that some stores in Florida stock based what people traveling from South America will want to bring back)

antihero 3y ago

Having the selection desired to everyone in every neighbourhood is not only impossible but vastly more inefficient to having the selection desired by everyone available online and only the ones people want delivered and collected. Returns of course need to be handled better in order to prevent waste.