Today Show Exposes Stained Underwear Returned to Retailers Resold

[RamboLiberal]

After outing several major retailers for their filthy practice of putting soiled undies back on the shelves, NBC's "Today" show recently returned to the stores in its ongoing "Secret Filth Exposed" series.

The good news? The investigative team found that each store that had been caught re-selling returned, deliberately soiled garments has since cleaned up its act.

The too-gross-for-words news? A whole new group of retailers -- including Walmart and Marshalls -- was caught returning questionable intimates to the sales floor.

The "Today" show's Jeff Rossen first reported on this dirty little retail secret in March, when secret shoppers were sent to J.Crew, Saks Fifth Avenue, Gap, Victoria's Secret, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, and Macy's.

The news team removed price tags and hygienic strips from panties, stained them with baby oil, and marked tags with two black dots for identification purposes. All of the stores accepted the soiled returns, and the show's investigators found the merchandise back on the shelves at Gap, Victoria's Secret, Macy's, Nordstrom, and Bloomingdale's. A Victoria's Secret whistle-blower told Rossen it was common practice to put returned panties back on sale. Fortunately, the stained undergarments were not found at J.Crew or Saks.

http://www.stylelist.com/2010/05/17/today-show-dirty-underwear-secret-filth-exposed/

Ewwww Yuck!!!!!!

[TwilightGardener]

1. Best to buy the Hanes and Fruit of the Loom 6-packs, I guess.

[babylonsister]

2. I've seen it aired at least twice on m$nbc today, too. Is this REALLY

a slow newz day? :eyes:

[Berry Cool]

10. No, but it is sweeps month.

Time for all the investigative reports about how your underwear can kill you. It's true!!!!!!!!!!

[Jim__]

3. I have to ask - did they clean them before returning them to the shelves?

I can't imagine that they didn't. I know - still gross. But, if they didn't clean them ...

[Raine]

21. No, they didn't clean them

they IMMEDIATELY re-tagged them and put them back on the sales floor. :puke:

[Gidney N Cloyd]

24. They didn't even check for skid marks?

[Scurrilous]

4. Can't they just ship them to Japan?

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LV2hDwv_h2k/SKNMDGcqg5I/AAAAAAAAAAs/joBNE2PGo68/s400/japan+used+panties+vending+machine.JPG

Used Panties Vending Machine

[customerserviceguy]

7. That's just creepy

I don't care who you are (as Larry the Cable Guy might say).

[KittyWampus]

16. you've just filled

my "weird stuff on the internet" quotient for the entire week.

[damntexdem]

5. Do any of them have bombs in them?

I mean, we'd need to be careful when we bought underwear just before flying.

;-)

[npk]

6. Good thing I knit my own underwear. n/t

[RamboLiberal]

8. Linked Story of how even new clothes are contaminated

"Good Morning America" just took all the fun out of our post holiday shopping when it revealed details of its filthy investigation into what's lurking on our brand new clothes. Germ phobes be warned, this gets pretty ugly.

A microbiologist hired by "GMA" found evidence of feces, vaginal secretions and even diarrhea causing viruses when it took cultures from so-called brand new clothes at popular high- and low-end stores in New York City. (ABC did not name the retailers.)

GMA's research was conducted for the morning show by Dr. Philip Tierno, director of microbiology at New York University. He turned up lots of dirt.

Tierno cultured 14 pieces of new clothing and found "excessive" amounts of disease causing germs and bacteria on a few pieces -- including a blouse and a jacket -- and trace amounts of some of these same offenders on other pieces. The invisible threats turned up in some surprising places -- fecal material in the offending blouse and jacket for example.

"In a sense you are touching someone else's armpit or groin" when you visit the dressing room, Tierno explained.

http://www.stylelist.com/2010/01/08/new-clothing-could-make-you-sick-gma-research-shocking/

[Uben]

9. I don't wear underwear

...when I take a bath, but that's the only time! I was wonderin where they found the professional underwear stainers. Sounds like an easy job!

[malaise]

11. I saw it on GEM$NBC

It was gross. Thankfully I don't try on underwear in stores and we wash everything before we wear it anyway.

These stores are shameless.

[Juneboarder]

12. That MUST be why

Victoria Secret is always giving away free panties in the mail! It's Victoria's Secret....shhhhhh!!! :)

[Arkana]

13. Gonk factor: Off the charts.

That is DISGUSTING.

Do they do this with men's boxers as well? Cause if so I'm never buying a pair of Old Navy boxers again.

[Drix]

14. So this is what passes for investigative journalism nowdays?

You have got to be fucking kidding me. All the resources of the National Broadcasting Corporation totaling in the millions of dollars and this is the best they can do?

[WinkyDink]

17. Frankly, this affects us all. What's your problem?

[Drix]

19. I usually have to spend extra for soiled underwear.

Now I have to go back to the black market for the good stuff.

[phleshdef]

23. There are perfectly legal sites for buying used panties with all your favorite fixins.

[spanone]

15. they certainly go after the big stories, don't they?

:puke:

[Drix]

18. Why did they even bother?

They could have gotten two hacks to give opposing views on dirty underwear and let the viewer decide. The whole story could have been reigned in for a fraction of what they spent. A couple of "Some people say" and a final "We'll have to leave it there" and they wouldn't have had to even warm up the microwave van.

[AllentownJake]

20. Secret Filth

:rofl:

[underpants]

22. HEY! do not attack my tainted brothers and sisters!

:grr:

[Xithras]

25. FYI guys, the same goes for boxers.

My wife occasionally takes a second job around the holidays to make some extra Christmas money, and she worked the Christmas rush and return days at Sears 8 or 9 years ago. She was floored when she was told to relabel and restock returned boxer shorts. She actually tried to get me to switch to plastic sealed briefs (notgunnahappen), but gave up and now militantly enforces a "sterilize with Oxy" rule with all store bought undergarments.