Traveling Chic Boutique — Local services in Richmond

I'm incredibly disappointed with my experience at the Traveling Chic Boutique and I would recommend against purchasing anything here. I just moved down the street from this place and anticipated to be a regular customer - I believe in supporting small businesses and I wanted to support this place. When I came in to buy this sweater the owner helped me select it and I paid $100. Everyone was super nice. It all seemed fine!

They have a 7 day return policy. I understand they need to do this to keep the integrity of their inventory in check but being a small business, (and having personally worked in the customer service industry for over a decade), I also understand you have to meet customers where they're at - and they did not do that for me today.

Unfortunately, the quality of this particular sweater was not great and it ripped. This was neither parties fault, this was the manufacturers fault. This was NOT something that happened while wearing the sweater (and yes I wore it once). This happened because the sweater was low quality. So when I came back in today explaining and was told there was nothing they could do (no store credit, no offer to fix the sweater, absolutely nothing than the proverbial "sorry") I was honestly really upset. I'm not someone who buys something to wear and return - this was supposed to be a high quality item and it came undone at the seams.....for this price point this should not have happened. She told me there was a mark on the sweater and that the manufacturer had no return policy (and I was at two week since buying so therefore they couldn't do anything)....I know that is not true. If you care about your customers you CAN do something. And I wouldn't have come in if this was something of my own volition. They are a small business and we are all people here. (and for the record; I had been out of town. It's the holidays. Thanksgiving. And I would have come back within 7 days had I been able to).

I will not be returning to this store and I would highly recommend you think twice about giving your business to this store; the customer doesn't come first and they are unforgiving in their return policy. What a disappointment.

An edit in response to owner's response to this review:

This is false and you have completely missed the point. I never said that I hadn't worn the item - in fact, I stated in the above that I did wear it and it was obviously clear that I had worn it, I was not attempting to hide that. I also did not reattach the tag. The tag NEVER came off. This is a pretty common thing for people with ADHD. This wasn't a ploy to manipulate you to take back an item that I bought with an intention to return. The issue is that you all sold me an item that did not come through on its promise: to be a WHOLE and complete sweater. This sweater was not. I was asking for an exception to your return policy as a result to an exceptionally faulty item. It is a basic tenant of business to come through on the promise of the good/service you have sold. Take a look at the photos I have attached and make the judgement yourself. I didn't need a return, I needed...

We went in to buy a Christmas gift for our mom on small business Saturday and in the tiniest print EXTREMELY hard to see, on our way out we read that all sale items are final. All other returns have to be made in 7 days. Being worried the sweater we bought wouldn’t fit her we asked on our way out the door if we could return it since we hadn’t even left the store yet. We were told no because it was on sale. To spend that much and try to support a small business we felt kind of ripped off. I would feel differently if we came back a week later after having it for awhile but to still be in the store? There’s no way to know this gift item would fit without someone physically trying it on, so I wouldn’t recommend buying anyone a gift item here. Or really...

Be careful of purchasing from this place. I went in on Black Friday - there was a store wide 25% off regular items and an additional 70% off sale items. I purchased a dress and changed my mind a couple days later, only to be told that all sales were final. The item I bought was regularly priced with 25% off for Black Friday. I politely inquired about returning it and was told that all sales were final and that their return policy was prominently displayed. This is what the owner sent me…. You be the judge.

No mention of final sale at checkout either.

This means that every purchase on Black Friday was final sale. No changing minds, returning of gifts that don’t fit, etc. Beware shopping...