January 2022 by Erica Taylor
I LOVE Aerie. I shop here and online all the time, am a Level 3 (out of 3) rewards member on their app, and overall have had wonderful customer service experiences so far.....This isn't so much a complaint but just to make others aware (as well as a genuine suggestion to management)....If you have any strong perfume or any "smell" at all when trying on their clothes at home expect a bit of pushback and embarrassment when attempting a return.I went to return an item I had bought less than a week ago because I didn't like the fit of the sweater. Hadn't worn it out, hadn't washed it, nothing. Literally tried it on and took it off at home.To be fair, however, I didn't have the tags on because I have a bad habit of immediately taking them off and tossing them as soon as I get home. That is MY bad and own it.**However** I've returned an item without the tags to this store once before and they were super understanding, stating it wasn't a problem so long as I had the original receipt, which I've always had. So I didn't think this time would be any different.Well, this time the manager was called over and said, "Since it doesn't have the tag- and I don't mean to embarass you- but since it also has a smell, I can't return it".I was immediately taken off guard by the "smell" comment so I responded, "What kind of smell?" Because without context that could be taken quite offensively. She responded saying, "It smells as though its been washed".I picked it up, held it to my nose, and it literally smelt like nothing. No scent, good or bad. And perhaps this is nitpicky but the manager was wearing a mask (which I appreciate of course) but the item was nowhere near her nose and she wasn't even holding it (I wasn't wearing a mask btw- vaccinated).I kindly explained I didn't smell anything and I hadn't washed it, just tried it on at home, but she said she couldn't do it. So I then asked if I could at least exchange it as I shop at Aerie all the time (I was literally wearing another sweater that said "AERIE" in huge letters, lol) and she agreed. I do appreciate her at least being willing to do an exchange.This is where I have a genuine suggestion for the staff/store/company. Please decide on a policy, and determine across the board whether it is or is not acceptable to complete a return without tags. This situation could have been avoided altogether, really, if so.Oh, and also, it is probably best to at least wait until the customer is out of the store before you start talking about them. I overheard the same manager telling another employee at normal volume, and in a disgusted voice that "it smelled of citrus" when they didn't think I was nearby. The other employee responded, "Ugh, really?"This left such a bad taste in my mouth. When they saw me they scattered, and I was embarassed and felt rushed to choose something so I could just leave*.*Lesson learned: I will definitely keep the tags on the item this time and be sure to have ZERO perfume, freshly washed hair, or even oranges, apparently, around me when trying anything on.... ;)Overall, I get it and am mostly understanding. I've worked retail and I've worked managerial positions in retail. I get return policies and I get that people do things to be shady and falsify returns, hence some pushback. I'm not necessarily upset I couldn't do the return (it being tagless and all), I just would appreciate better storewide consistency on policies as well as a bit more tact from employees when discussing customers amongst themselves.Hence.... 4/5 stars. I will still shop here in the future, however, and would still recommend their clothing. :)