Day: May 9, 2008

LL Bean Burlington, originally uploaded by captjoe06.

So she asked.

The “No questions asked’ return policy is now officially in question in my mind.

“Did these items not perform up to your satisfaction given the amount of time you’ve owned them and use that you’ve got out of them?”

Now I’m confronted with a moral debate.

On one hand I could purchase the same exact turtlenecks or workpants for roughly 30% less elsewhere.

On the other hand working down the dock with the equipment we use and under the conditions we work aren’t exactly your everyman’s clothes wearing environment.

Let me state for the record that no matter she says to my response I do not intend to fight. If she says no friggen way, I’m walking away with my tail between my legs.

The trip up to LL Bean Burlington and the ridicule of my wife hang in the balance of the very next words that come out of my mouth.

Part 5 the conclusion at 5PM

LL Bean Burlington, originally uploaded by captjoe06.

So we get up the LL Bean store in Burlington and The Bean and Snoop Mad are snoring away in the back seat of the car.

The Mrs refuses to go into the store out of sheer embarrassment that I would dare try to return the tattered, stained LL Bean Gear. She circles off and tells me that she will meet me at the front of the store an a bit which also serves to allow The Bean and Snoop Mad extra napping time in the back seat.

I’m getting a bit of a queasy, guilty feeling about testing out this return policy that they have but that queasy feeling is tempered by the fact that they go out of their way to advertise this no questions asked return policy. The prices they charge are also about $30 higher than similar products sold elsewhere.

So my thinking is that they charge 30% more money for the clothing. If they get a small number of ridiculous returns, their business model allows them to eat those ridiculous returns because the money lost on those ridiculous returns is more than made up for by the increased sales they get from their advertising the “No questions asked” return policy.

Heart rate slightly more elevated than I’d like to admit while taking the escalator up to the return desk.

After waiting a short while behind some unruly toddlers in the return line I get called up to the counter.

Remember that “no questions asked” return policy?

She asked.

Part 4 coming at 3PM