I know lots of old dears do this
But I still don’t understand the mentality of it.

We all know how much the old ladies love Marks and Spencers – not only as you can buy both posh-seeming food and clothes there, but also for their returns policy (you can take back anything and they’ll exchange it). It was pretty much the only shop my dear departed nan ever went to (except on very special occasions, when she went to Debenhams).

One day, she decided she needed a new winter coat. So she went to M&S to pick one out, eventually deciding on a fetching knee-length green quilted number. However, after taking it home she decided she didn’t like the coat as it didn’t suit her, and it went into the wardrobe without being worn. Every day thereafter my nan would take the coat out, think about wearing it, decide she didn’t like it again, and call my mum to moan about her stupid purchase of this horrible coat. However, she wouldn’t just return it as “she didn’t want to cause them any trouble” (not that this had ever stopped her before.)

After three weeks of daily calls about this coat, my mum eventually has enough and drives my nan to M&S to return it. Her money is refunded without problem (as always) and my nan returns home happy to be rid of her foolish purchase. She decides to have a look in her wardrobe to see if there’s anything else that might keep her warm in the winter...

And finds another green coat. She’d bought the exact same version 6 months before from M&S - and never worn that one either.
(silencer, Fri 6 Jul 2007, 18:05, Reply)