Circle Shopping and Returns

[mandy]

Gabrielle Mancuso, a nursing student and certified nursing assistant, adores shopping. American Eagle, TJ Maxx, H&M, those are her haunts. But with bad economic news bombarding her daily, there's something that brings the stylish Mancuso more pleasure than buying jeans and tops: returning those jeans and tops -- unworn.

"I get cash back," Mancuso, 19, of Franklin, explained as she browsed at the Prudential Center recently. "It's instant gratification."

With many fashionistas reinventing themselves as "recessionistas" - style lovers who buy lower-priced versions of their beloved designer goods - Mancuso is taking fiscal restraint one step farther. She's a "returnista," and she's engaging in one of the biggest trends for Fall/Winter '08. Call it circle shopping. It goes like this: Fashionistas make a purchase, stress out about it, return the item unused, exalt. And, of course, repeat...

full article: http://www.boston.com/business/articles/...ll_return/