The Latest Trend Among Customers

The latest trend of customers coming into the shops just to try things on, but not to buy is increasingly annoying the shop owners around the world. They have decided to find a solution to stop it.

As online shopping has become more and more popular, some shop owners have realized that they are not making much money even though the shops look busy. This is because customers are keen to save money by shopping online but worried about choosing the wrong size or colour. So they go to the store to try on clothes before going home to order them from a website.

But now, stores in Australia have come up with an idea to prevent this from happening. Customers are asked to pay ‘trying on’ fee. Winter sportswear shops charge customers up to $50 to try on boots or other ski wear. This charge is refunded if customers come back to buy the items within seven days.

Likewise, bridal shops have also introduced charges in China. The owner of Vera Wang, a bridal shop in Shanghai, explains, ‘We get a lot of people who are not here to buy dresses at all. Either they try on in-store and then shop online, or they are girls who are not even getting married, they just want to see what they look like in different wedding dresses. Fitting a woman for her wedding dress is a specialist skill that we take very seriously, and we put in time and effort to make sure the dress is exactly right.’ Charging ‘trying on’ fee has worked so far: ‘We’ve had fewer time-wasters,’ explains the owner, ‘which means that we have been more into giving better service to our customers.’ Vera Wang now charges $482.

What do you think about ‘trying on fee’? Do you think it’s fair to charge customers for something that they don’t buy? Do you think shop owners have a point? Write your ideas in the writing part.