Yahoo Lifestyle Shoppers Are Calling Out This Sneaky HomeGoods Scam—Have You Been a Victim?
Sorry, Dorothy: There's no place like HomeGoods. From portraits of the Golden Girls to over-the-top carriages that would make Cinderella jealous, the store has virtually everything you can think of to adorn your home and then some. But some shoppers claim that occasionally the shelves contain items that shouldn't even be there to begin with.
Let's back up, shall we? Recently, social media has been buzzing about a conspiracy theory that HomeGoods allegedly purchases some of its inventory from Goodwill. After all, how else do you explain that some of its merchandise looks brand-new, while other pieces have seen better days? However, an Instagram account called VerifiedBlueCheckMarc put the rumor mill to rest once and for all in a recent post. HomeGoods items that look suspiciously old or worn out might be part of a scam, but the culprits are the store's customers.
The way it works, Marc explained, is that some shoppers will purchase something at HomeGoods, reapply the adhesive price tag to any old item lying around their home, and bring it back to HomeGoods for a refund. (Remember: The items shoppers are trying to return were never from HomeGoods in the first place, so it's a sneaky way to get some extra cash.)
"This has been happening at HomeGoods, TJMaxx, and Marshalls for years," he explains in his Instagram Reel. "These stores have such large inventories and employees really have no way of keeping track of the actual items that the store holds. So 99 percent of the time, the returns fall through the cracks and it's...really bad."
Though HomeGoods claims it will only accept returns within 30 days of the initial purchase—and if there's a matching receipt—former employees flooded the comments with their own stories.
"I used to work at HomeGoods and people would definitely do this," one person wrote. "But the number actually means something on the tag so sometimes people would return sh*t that doesn’t even make sense. It was a red flag." "They do keep track of iffy returns," said another commenter, who worked at TJMaxx. "They will log your name, description, and the frequency you have returned. So it will only work once or twice before they refuse you."
The internet has had their mind blown—and are honestly a little torn about the news. Many people view this scam as dishonest and unethical, others call it a great "hack." And, of course, some say that whoever is able to pull this off deserves to reap the rewards. "Have you ever tried to peel one of those stickers off something you just purchased?" one follower asked. "If someone can get one of those things off without damaging it, they have almost earned their money back."
So, how do you know if you've been a victim of this particular scam? Honestly, it's hard to tell. Items with obvious wear and tear will certainly ring an alarm bell, and you should probably leave them behind. That said, the store's revolving door of merchandise makes it incredibly difficult to suss out what's the real deal...and what's a total dud. Let this be a reminder to only shell out for items that you really, truly love—whether they're at HomeGoods or Goodwill. Nobody wants to spend more on decor than they need, but the transparent joy of walking away with a cart full of smile-inducing stuff is priceless.
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