Chandler, Arizona: Costco Returns Highlights Differences

It occurred to me as I drove Mary Lynn around this afternoon so she could return several items, that there may be another difference between men and women that has not been fully documented. At least, I haven't heard about this difference previously. 

You see, as we headed north to the Costco in Chandler, it occurred to me that Mary Lynn, like many women, is a professional 'returner'. I'm not sure that is even a word however it describes the behaviour she demonstrates on a regular basis. 

MLA is willing to return anything at anytime. I'm not talking just about returning an item that doesn't fit or doesn't work as advertised, although those types of returns certainly comprise a portion of her returns. 

Nope, I'm talking about her willingness to take something back if the item goes on sale or the price is reduced. Now, men are (usually) willing to take something back if it doesn't work, that is, if they don't have to go too far out of their way. 

Men might also be willing to take something back if the price changes significantly. I know every one's definition of 'significant price change' is different, however women seem to be moved to action for a lot less than men. Almost every man I know would not bother to make a return in order to get money back unless the dollar amount is at least $10, and many would require the difference to be even greater than that.

That's assuming of course that the man can remember how much he originally paid for the item AND it requires that he notices the price change. I mean, once I purchase an item, I quit following the price of that item shortly thereafter. And the length of time I remember what I paid for an item gets shorter and shorter every year; it will soon be measured in nanoseconds...

MLA, and many of the women I know, can tell you exactly, to the dollar and many times to the penny, how much they paid for an item purchased six months ago. And, if the price of that item is reduced long after she made the purchase, she notices. She not only notices, she takes action. This is the part where many men fall down -- taking action. Although THAT behavior has been documented pretty thoroughly...

To me, and I bet I'm not alone, taking action means telling MLA about the price reduction, knowing full well she will not be able to sleep soundly until she orchestrates an exchange and gets 'her' money back. I won't do it. I'm either too lazy or too embarrassed, however I'm more than willing to capitalize on her need to feel like she 'won'.

I know I put a value on my time and try to figure out the cost of going back to a store to see if making a return is worth my time and energy. MLA will go out of her way, spending almost any amount of time and travelling almost any distance, to perform the refund.

And as I said, the dollar amount does not have to be huge. I've seen MLA return an item and then turn around and repurchase that same item, just to save a dollar or two. Last week MLA went shopping with a friend of hers. Her friend, who I will not name, returned a pad of paper for which she paid a dollar so she could buy two pads of paper when they went on sale for 50 cents each. Most men would not bother...

MLA keeps a list of stores where she needs to make a return. In fact, she puts anything that needs to be returned in a box located (permanently) in the back of our car. 

It's almost as if MLA, who considers herself to be a professional (or at least semi-pro) shopper, sees a price reduction (paying more than she has to) as an affront on her image of herself as a professional shopper. 

And we all know most men don't consider themselves to be a shoppers. In fact, many of us men pride ourselves on being a buyer. We dash into a store, grab the first item that appears to meet our needs and is within our loosely defined budget, pay for the item, and bang, we are out of the store. And thankful it didn't take any longer than the seventh inning stretch at a baseball game. 

What does it all mean? Who knows. Just an observation. That's what happens when you retire and suddenly find yourself spending nearly all of your waking hours (and sleeping hours for that matter) with your spouse. You notice things. Some good, some not. Some important, some not. 

Is this one good? Is it important? You decide. I just noticed the difference.

See Ya!