Talk About Disgusting!

Well, I think I’ve heard it all now.

There was a story this morning on the TODAY Show that reported that certain major retailers are selling used underwear.

I wanted to die, or puke, or both. What in the world???

With hidden cameras, reporters took underwear back to stores, marked so that they would know if their “used” products were retagged and put back out for sale. Sure enough, cameras showed clerks taking the so-called “used” underwear, retagging it and putting it back on the racks or tables.

The report came after an employee of one of the retailers blew the whistle. This woman said that she’d seen it done. In instances where the underwear had an odor, she said the items were hung up overnight to give the odor a chance to dissipate, and then the products were put back out for sale.

Items retagged included panties, thongs, and bathing suits.

When reporters were doing their experiments, they “stained” some of the underwear with baby oil to see if it too would be put back out for sale, marked again on the manufacturer’s label so they could be identified. And, sure enough, the “stained” items were for sale.

Talk about disgusting!

We’re not talking about discount stores. No, the stores named in the report included Macy’s,Victoria’s Secret, Bloomingdales, Saks … You need only to go to the TODAY show website to see the retailers listed.

Now, I know times are hard. I have said that the new “f” word, or “f” bomb, is the word “fee.” Retailers and companies are struggling to pay their bills at the expense of consumers.

All of it is troubling, but this is, well, it’s disgusting.

The report said that the lesson gleaned from this information is that we should wash all underwear or swimsuits that we buy before we wear them.

That’s true. That would be one lesson.

Yet another lesson, though, is that we, the consumers, should perhaps form a different kind of “tea party,” one where we stand up and say to banks, companies…and now, department stores and specifically lingerie departments … that they need to stop unethical behavior based on their greed.

And maybe we just need to stop supporting their greed by paying the costs they charge for merchandise or the fees they charge to survive … while they throw us under the bus in ways we never imagined they would.

Ladies, spread the word about this used underwear thing. Guys, you might want to stay away from purchasing thongs and underpants for your special ladies. Perfume works. Nice jewelry…

We have to protect ourselves, because clearly, the retailers and banks do not have our best interests at heart.

That’s just a candid observation.