Boy Shorts

This is a true story about a real live accounting issue.

Before you nod off, just let me say that it involves PANTIES.

Yes. You heard right. Panties.

A year ago, I discovered the joys of online shopping when it came to underwear/ligerie/intimates because it's just less awkward that way. If you don't recall my post about that, go refresh yourself here.

So the other day, I went on my annual panty shopping spree, and a few days later, it all came in the mail. And I thought it was over. But of course it wasn't.

A few days after that, I got another package with the same duplicate order in it. I made sure I wasn't charged twice, and then resigned myself to, "Cool. Free panties."

Then I got greedy.
Could I exchange them for a different color? Can I send them back and get refunded in full so that my first order is pretty much free?

I got the order all ready to ship back, sealed the package, slapped the label on it and everything. Mike and I went to go play pool, and I tried to stuff it in the little envelope spot, but since panties are panties and not envelopes, they would not fit. This meant I would have to go to a real, live mailbox.

Then 2012 ended.

Yesterday I got this e-mail from the place.

OOPS, it said, I guess we sent you more things than you ordered. Give me a call and we can send you a label to return them for free.

Ok, Candy.

No, seriously. Her name was Candy.

So I called and "did the right thing".
But then I got to thinking.
It was only after year-end that they "realized" their mistake. Could it possibly be that VS was channel stuffing near year end to get their sales numbers higher and then defer the returns until 2013?

This happens all the time in grad school accounting cases, so there's a really good chance it happens out there in the real world.
In the panty world.

And I was a victim of it.

You: Allie, how were you a victim of it? You get to ship it back for free, and you weren't even charged for the second order.

Yes, but now I have to go out of my way and find a real live mailbox.
And a loss of inconvenience is still a loss.
#lawyered

Now I'm going to go eat a grapefruit and try not to turn my desk into a waterpark.
Sometimes, it's really that juicy.

When you date retained earnings, you don't take it out for a dinner and a movie,
TWS