Burlington — Local services in East Windsor Township

Staffer at Burlington in East Windsor rejects customer return, saying: “You ripped the tags off.”

While I know retailers are struggling to find workers these days, I feel like Audrie, who told me she was the store manager in East Windsor, is setting her own rules.

And, though she started off helpful, her demeanor was inappropriate. (She’s not the store manager, according to my receipt. But told me she was.)

The back of my receipt does not indicate that store price tags must remain attached. This was a bad in-store experience, though she did take back some of my items...

How can the retailer not accept a return simply because the tags were removed to try on the garment at home? (The fitting rooms were closed when I made the purchase at the Freehold store, where staff told me they locked the dressing rooms due to shoplifting issues.)

“You ripped the tags off,” Audrie, the employee in East Windsor, responded inappropriately, asking: How do I know you didn’t wear these to work?

I asked her why the store couldn’t just use their tools to reattach the price tags.

But Audrie said Burlington’s policy prohibited the return of merchandise without tags, even though I had the tags in hand and the shirts were in new condition and unused.

How do I know you didn’t wear it to work?” she repeated.

Audrie explained that the policy is in writing and showed me a sign on the counter, however it’s not – the back of the receipt does not indicate that tags must remain attached – only that it must be “new [and] unused.” That’s unheard of in retail, in my knowledge as a consumer, anyway.

I feel like she was modifying the line of Burlington's policy that indicates items must be in saleable condition: “Merchandise must be in new, unused condition,” reads the back of my receipt.

So, here’s my remedy:

I’ll close my Burlington credit card with Chase Bank immediately, as I don’t need it.

I’ll return another shirt that I was going to keep, since I've lost trust in Burlington over this experience.

Still, I’m a Burlington credit card holder and I have the benefit of extended returns and I’m entitled to make returns without the receipt. But now I've lost trust in Burlington's attitude toward its customers. (It seems that if I did not have the receipt, I would have been out of luck.)

“Exclusive Cardholder Perks When You Use Your Burlington Credit Card,” states the...

My mother and I visited this Burlington store tonight at about 9pm. We entered the store carrying a reusable bag from HomeGoods, intending to shop. Shortly after we began browsing, an individual, presumably in a loss prevention role and identified as Greg, approached us to inquire if we needed any assistance. We responded politely in the affirmative, although we noticed that other nearby customers were not approached with the same question.

After about 20 minutes, not finding what we were looking for, we decided to leave. As we exited, Greg called out to us, questioning if we had made any purchases. Despite seeing that our reusable bag was empty and folded, he pressed further, expressing doubt that we had not brought the bag with us upon entering. This interaction was not only shocking but also embarrassing, marking a significant departure from the many years of positive shopping experiences we have had with Burlington.

This situation seemed to escalate without cause, particularly when Greg mentioned that he was now more suspicious of us, despite having no reason for such an accusation. The manager on duty informed us that Greg was new, having started just a month prior, and described his actions as "overly customer servicing." However, this explanation does not justify the undue scrutiny and lack of professionalism displayed.

We believe the incident may have been influenced by racial profiling, as we observed that other customers were not subjected to the same treatment. Such incidents erode trust and respect between customers and the business. If this represents the level of training and conduct encouraged among new employees, it is imperative that Burlington reassesses its training programs to ensure all customers are treated with fairness and respect.

Unfortunately, this experience has significantly impacted our perception of Burlington. It is crucial that issues like these are addressed promptly to prevent future occurrences. We have shared this incident with the Better Business Bureau and are prepared to share this incident on social media to raise awareness and ensure that no other customer experiences...

So it's not even been a week and a pair of shoes was bought from this store. To my surprise it was worn only once and the sole rubber started to flake. Mind you it was only worn once. We came to the store to return it with an online receipt and the lady at the counter who supposedly claimed to also be the manger says "it has been worn more than once." Tried explaining to her that it was purchased recently and one wear made it look like this and she basically was adamant calling us liars saying it was worn more than once. Nobody buys it to the intention to rerun it later and ofcourse it was the case here and hence I don't have the tags on it. Then she goes on if there was a receipt or a tag I would have exchanged it or refunded it and when I told her I have the online email receipt, she says no I can't as it was worn more than once. So what is she trying to say. First she is rude and calling us liars. Secondly you are lying. She was very rude and unapologetic. claimed us to be liars. I came out being upset and disrespected. avoid this store as they don't care about customers. It's a shame and I came out disappointed. There's a way to communicate with customers rather than claiming us to be liars. Hope the owner is aware of what goes around at the store with such rude employees. Shameful!! Will definitely report this matter to better...