Wardrobing

Have you ever heard of "wardrobing?" I hadn't heard the term until this morning when I watched a segment about it on Good Morning America. It's the term given to buying something, wearing it once and returning it to the store for a refund. I've known people who do that; and I don't like it. I've been a shopper who has tried on a dress that had a stain on it or smelled bad. Gross. I could tell from the stapled-on tag that it was a return, and it shouldn't have been on the rack.

One of the things that bothered me most about the segment was a young woman who agreed to be interviewed anonymously (face in the dark, altered voice). She said she does it frequently when she has to go to a special party like a wedding or a first date. She doesn't feel guilty because she said the stores are in better financial shape than she is and can "deal with it."

When I hear someone say, "Deal with it," I shudder. I feel the same way when someone says, "Do it now and apologize later," especially when they are doing something immoral, unethical or both. Do you suppose that was what the idiots outside WalMart on Long Island were thinking when they stormed the store on "Black Thursday" (another sicko term) and trampled a store clerk to death in the process? When the store employees asked all customers to leave due to the young man's death, apparently several loudmouths put up a huge fight saying it wasn't fair they should be shown the door when they had been waiting in line for hours. What's wrong with that picture?

When did this lack of manners and common courtesy begin? Is it really the fault of Baby Boomers who are characterized as a self-centered generation? I'm a Boomer and I cherish civility. I like being polite and being treated the same way. Why do we put the most disgusting movie, TV and music characters on pedestals. That Ari guy on Entourage makes me ill. Although I can't stand rappers whose lyrics incite young people to commit lewd acts, I have to admit that the rockers of my generation did the same thing and I loved them. That's a good reason not to criticize rappers. Most of them are sweet little boys and girls in the presence of their mothers, so perhaps there is hope.

I don't really know where I'm going with all this tonight, except that I loved what a sixty-something woman on the street outside Macy's said in this morning's GMA piece. When asked if she had ever done any "wardrobing," she said, "I'm from an older generation and I was taught not to do that because it's wrong." She's right. Our parents and grandparents knew right from wrong and obeyed rules unless they felt a need to fight those rules in a civil way. Why don't we all just watch It's a Wonderful Life again and talk about the movie's message afterwards?! Maybe that could be the cure for wardrobing this holiday season.