When did getting boxes and tissue paper at clothing stores become difficult?

It's all part of the Wal-Martization of retail in America. Hire cheap labor and treat them poorly so that no one sticks around long enough to get any raises, cut out the "customer amenities" (like gift boxes), and replace the decent quality stuff you used to sell with cheap crap from China so that you can compete. It's all about "price point." Unfortunately, both quality and customer service suffer dearly with this approach.

It sucks, but it's the new normal. And, ironically, it drives even more people to do their shopping on the Internet.

The worst is when the gift packaging they give you looks cheap. I went to a place that gave me something plastic that looked like a holiday-themed variation on a Fed-Ex envelope for a shirt (just slide the shirt in, pull the seal strip, press the flap down and it's wrapped!) and I thought to myself, "Wow, this retailer has certainly changed. This is all just to get me to pay for their premium gift wrapping."

My name isn't spelled with an "i", asshole.

Don't bother coming back; you're not getting any boxes.

I worked at a suburban Marshall Fields in the late 70's into the mid-80's. Fields had these very nice boxes, quite sturdy, glossy white with gold embossed logo and glossy red for Christmas. The boxes didn't fold - rather they stacked inside of each other sort of like Russian nesting dolls. Every gift item was carefully wrapped in tissue (folded in a certain way so it appeared neat and crisp). The tissue was affixed with a gold embossed Fields crest, then the boxed finished off with gold cord with a gold gift card. Oh, and the price was hand written "in code" on a sticker placed on the inside of the top lid of the box so the recipient didn't know the crummy sweater was on clearance.

Christmas was nuts because everything was boxed. Often the right size box was the last in the set of boxes so you'd have to open the larger boxes to get to the one you wanted. I got very good and very fast at boxing gifts at Marshall Fields.

[quote] I'm talking about a major department store that probably has locations in 50 countries and advertises in your bigger Conde Nast magazines.

Is the name of this department store a secret? Is there a reason why you omitted the name? You indicate the magazine publisher that the company uses, but not the store? It is anonymous here, don't be afraid of Serena the manager finding out.

Oh, there are several reasons not to name the store, r5.

Starting with "what do you expect when you're buying that shit," and devolving into a discussion along those lines.

So just Guess.

When you buy from Amazon do you expect boxes and tissue paper? That is their major competition now. Amazon and other online companies are destroying all brick and mortar stores. Amazon doesn't even make a profit, they basically sell at cost.

Nordstrom?

Competition and the race to the bottom. I laugh at the poster who suggests that the declining amenities are pushing people to shop online... do you think that online purchases are somehow going to revive amenities? Have you shopped on Amazon?

I own and run a little boutique shop. I treat every customer who walks through the door the same. But I get some of the strangest requests you can imagine, and it gets harder and harder to provide a consistent level of service every day. Yesterday, I had a woman come in and buy a gift item at full price. I provided her with a gift box as you'd expect.

She came back a couple hours later to return the item. I always ask why so that I understand: was it just the wrong item? Was it the wrong size (not applicable in this situation, but often is)? No, she found it elsewhere for about 15% less. Ok, fair enough... where was the gift box, I asked? You can guess what she said next: "oh, I forgot it." She was keeping it. Of course, the store where she found it for 15% less didn't offer a gift box. I told her I would be happy to take the item back, but gift boxes aren't free, and I'd have to deduct the cost of the box from the refund unless she brought the gift box back in usable condition, as well.

Of course she was irate, and started screaming at me. I pointed to the sign on my cash register that laid out this policy, and even the line on the receipt that says items must be returned in saleable condition for refund, and that includes the packaging. When it escalated into a situation in which it began interfering in other people shopping, I handed her the refund -- less 15%, coincidentally the cost of the gift box -- and apologized that it didn't work out. I gently escorted her toward the door, but she wasn't having it. She demanded to speak to the manager. I informed her as politely but forcefully as possible, I was the owner and manager of the store, and there was no one to talk to besides me. She left in a huff, and I have no doubt, will never be back.

This is not an unusual situation. Anything you buy in my store you can buy on Amazon, or elsewhere, probably for less. But do you want to also buy the gift box and tissue paper? Do you want to deal with returning the item in the event it isn't right, for any reason, without having to ship it back? Do you want the retailer to have a full selection of sizes? Do you want the retailer to have the item in stock? Do you want the retailer to be able to offer advice and guidance to make sure the item is going to satisfy your need? None of this is free.

I think this is going to be the last Christmas that I offer gift boxes and tissue. I don't want to be in the business of selling gift boxes and tissue, but the cost to provide this extra service eats into the margins to the point that I'd be better off not offering any amenities and just lowering the price of the items. I can compete with Amazon and the big box stores on price, but only if I offer the same non-existing service that they do, too.

And now you know why getting gift boxes for free has become so difficult.

Great story, r9, and I hope you have a very profitable holiday season. If I was nearby I'd come in--I love stores like this and they are becoming harder and harder to find

R9 who is she kidding, she kept your box to put the gift in. Don't let that bad apple diminish your standards.

Hmmm...

R9 what is your return policy? I'm surprised you don't have a "No Return Policy" or a "Restocking Fee."

R9- I hope you do well this Christmas because you deserve it. I love boutique shops. You can always find something that you don't see in major department stores. The other great thing about boutiques is that you don't have to walk the length of a football field in order to find a cash register open.

R9 - your bring the box back for a refund policy is TOO ocd to enforce 100%. You should let it slide when someone does not comply. You lost a customer AND you made a scene in front of other customers. I think you need to get your priorities straight, dear.

Thanks for your kind words. I love running my little shop, and I love helping people find the right item. I've only been in this business for a year and things are going well, but literally every penny counts.

Return policies in the age of credit cards are meaningless. If I refused to take something back, I'd just get a chargeback and then I'd be out the item, the margin, plus $30 chargeback fee from the bank. It will be interesting to see if this woman files a complaint with her credit card, but I've fought similar chargeback problems in the past and won, but it is a pain in the ass and I'd rather not.

I'm lucky and I know it. Most small stores don't make it. I live in an area where people go out of their way to support local businesses, and I've even received yelp reviews extolling the lengths to which I'll go to make sure the item is perfect and the experience is excellent.

Support your local businesses, folks. They're what make living there a rich, rewarding community that is better for everyone.

As for the OP. Don't get into a tither about these things. Buy gift boxes yourself and keep the around with your wrapping paper, ribbons and bows. Enjoy your shopping experience. If you get lucky and the store does a good wrapping job, enjoy that. If the store does not, and you want the item, just let this slide.

You can not turn back time, dears. It's not worth the high blood pressure to get upset over falling standards all around. Keep them up for yourselves when they seem worthwhile and have a nice day.

no longer available free only for pay...this has been the norm for a while dude....you need to get out more bro!!!

I found that finding out the location of localities is useless, unless one's position on the positive side of the subjection subjection is subjective.

I think they vanished somewhere in the 90s. By that time, no one took the time to actually make the box. That sort of thing went out shortly after I did holiday retail in the 80s.

The boxes ultimately were advertising and very good advertising; most people reused them at least once for something or another.

It's one of the niceties. If you buy something in our historic area or at any small shop, they offer free gift wrapping. Not sure about chain stores.

No Boxes For YOU!

This may sound sickly sweet and cloying, but a few years ago, I asked a shop owner why, in France, no matter what you buy, they wrap it up in tissue for you. Even if it isn't a gift and it's just for you? She said something like," well you deserve to unwrap a present too."

My father was a hoarder of gift boxes (and gift bags) for the last 20 years of his life. He kept every gift box he ever got from Macy's, Bloomingdale's, J-Crew, etc., carefully refolding the tissue paper, putting the top back on, and would stick them in a closet in the spare bedroom, to be re-used He had boxes of all sizes -- for bulky sweaters down to gloves & neckties. (same with gift bags). It was pretty handy when we all started doing more catalogue shopping for gifts. I knew I could always go over to Dad's and get a box -- or five. (I did all my Christmas gift-wrapping at his house, as he also saved bows/ribbon). But it didn't matter how many we re-used & got rid of; more new boxes would replace them.

At one point, a few years before he died, I did say to him, "I don't think you need to save any MORE boxes. There are more boxes in that closet than we will ever use!" (He'd just gotten a gift from J-Crew, or something, and said, "Oh, that's a good box! Go put in the closet.")

He died two years ago, and when I cleaned out that closet.......JFC, it was worse than I thought! I hadn't opened the cupboards above that closet, in years......there were even more gift boxes up there. I must have thrown out at least 200 boxes (recycling bin), no exaggeration. (I did keep about two dozen of various sizes, because they are handy, but they're all flattened to conserve space).

I bought my sister some Jo Malone fragrance at Nordstrom. The box, the heavy cardboard bag, the complimenting samples (apparently you mix them to create different scents, and the saleswoman gave me 15 of them), and the care and effort putting all this together made me feel less offended about paying $110 for a clear liquid.

It did remind me, though, of the scene in "Love, Actually" with Rowan Atkinson and Alan Rickman

I don't do gifts between Tkgs and Jan 2. Fuck "the holidays." Be nice all year round.

R15 The store owner R9 did not loose a customer. The store owner lost a thief disguised as a customer.

[quote]And This wasn't Walmart or Target or even the Gap. I'm talking about a major department store that probably has locations in 50 countries and advertises in your bigger Conde Nast magazines.

So was this outside the US? Because I cannot think of a single "major department store" (NOT a clothing store) that has multiple international locations and is also prominent in the US.

[quote] The store owner did not loose a customer. The store owner [bold]lost[/bold] a thief disguised as a customer.

Don't you mean "loost"?

This issue started about 5 years ago. It is annoying.

R5 and R28 - the answer to your question is in the poster's last line. (It took me a while to get it too)

I always loved Lord and Taylor gift boxes, with the long stem red rose on the box lid.

r9 good for you! some people forget all that tissue paper, gift boxes and ribbon do not fall from the sky. they actually COST something.

Wrap your own damn presents. Is this really that big of a deal?

Gift bags were invented well before 2015---OP is someone's great grandparent

R24, that's really good. recycling! A friend used to keep all the paper shopping bags. She loved the different designs for different holidays. From different countries. If you have traveled to Japan, you will know that they are so good with the packaging. very interesting designs.

And since the plastic bag ban. Store are now charging 5 cents for their lousy paper bag that they used to give for free.

I know that in Bloomingdale's, they have to wrap it in tissue, it's their job. I was buying my nephew a shirt and I told the cashier as he was wrapping the shirt in tissue not to bother with that and he told me he has to do it.

One piece of tissue lining the box, pleated and sealed with a gold sticker. The merchandise should have an overlay of tissue before wrapping in the overlay.