British people won't return items costing less than £11.70, research finds
![Women won't return an item which costs less than £8.56 and men won't if it's under £15.70. [Photo: Getty]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/sgYwCO3dcqYXtNGdZNYx0A--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjk-/https://media-mbst-pub-ue1.s3.amazonaws.com/creatr-uploaded-images/2019-08/53100f80-b904-11e9-afdf-efc22a3a2134)
Returning unwanted items can be a real pain, especially if the returns policy involves more steps than the cha-cha-cha.
Often, returning products is put right to the back of the queue and as research has discovered, some people just don’t bother at all.
Women won’t return items under £8.56 while men won’t return anything under £15.70.
That means that us Brits have items costing £11.70 or less dotted around our home which we don’t actually want.
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The research by MyVoucherCodes surveyed 2,000 British people on the state of the UK’s fast fashion.
It’s a hot topic of conversation at the moment, with brands frequently coming under fire for unsustainable practices.
Perhaps it’s not surprising, then, that the research uncovered that just 8% of us have a positive view on fast fashion.
The price - as well as speedy delivery - plays a big role in our choice to shop with fast fashion brands.
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It appears that there’s a collective revolt against brands deemed as unsustainable amongst the younger generations.
18-24 year olds spend just £189 per year on fast fashion and 35-44 year olds spending the most at £257 per year.
When you think about reasons people might be avoiding fast fashion brands, you’ll probably think of the environmental impacts or the manufacturing process.
Surprisingly, that’s not what is on the forefront of Brits’ minds.
Almost half of us actively avoid buying items if they have been promoted by an influencer.
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Fashion stylist, Rochelle White, told Yahoo! that the research sheds light on a few things that are currently disrupting the fashion industry.
“I think that consumers are starting to be more conscious that it might not be worth it, as it could cost more (depending on where you shop) if returns aren't free.”
There’s the environmental impact to consider when returning items, too. “With everyone being more aware of the environmental issues surrounding fashion this could also be playing a part. Things to consider are things like; they might have drive and use fuel to return to a store or post office or even to the use of packaging.”
Rochelle has also noticed that the attitudes of the industry has changed, with many fashion shoots she works on choosing to limit the clothing they use in order to be more environmentally aware.
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Earlier this year MPs called for a tax of fast fashion. They claimed “our insatiable appetite for clothes comes with huge social and environmental price tag”.
The tax would see brands and retailers charged 1p per garment they sell. While a seemingly small amount, the combined funds would cover a £35 million government recycling scheme to collect and recycle clothing.
