Dirty Underwear Sold at Department Stores and Retail Chains?

A little too gross for words isn't it? Well, according to NBC, the reselling of used/dirty under garments is a practice that has been turning up at high-end department stores and retail chains alike. While the department stores NBC had been investigating have cleaned up their act a bit (sorry for the pun), some large retailers, such as Wal-Mart and Marshalls, are now tagging and putting dirty underwear on their sale racks for customers to buy.

How does dirty underwear make its way to the sale racks for purchase, you might be wondering. Basically a customer comes in and returns a pair of underwear or a bathing suit, and the retailer simply hang the items up over night to alleviate the odor, and then retags and put them back out on the display racks the next day to be purchased by another customer.

According to the article posted on wptv.com, Victoria's Secret, Bloomingdales, and the Gap have all been noted as reselling dirty underwear in the past. Hopefully the recent television coverage has prompted stores to put a stop to this alarming procedure.

How can major retail chains be so lazy that they can't even be bothered to clean the items they are selling? Are they unaware that germs and diseases can be passed on to the next unsuspecting customer who tries these items on, or do they just not care? I don't know, but it's times like this that make me glad I buy the Hanes Her Way undies in the sealed packages.

Three ways to protect yourself from dirty underwear in retail stores

1. Instead of purchasing the fancy undies hanging on the sale racks or in the bins where they're just thrown in a hodge podge, try opting for the pre-packaged Hanes Her Way, Jockey, or Fruit of the Loom underwear sets. The packaged sets might not be lacy or have a fancy brand name on them, but you're much less likely to get a germ or disease from them.

2. Always, always, always keep your underwear on when trying on bathing suits or underwear in a retail store. That way you know you've got some protection should the pair you're trying on be soiled. I have made this a practice for years now, and after reading about this story, I'm very glad I do.

3. If you absolutely must have the fancy underwear that is not pre-packaged, try it on in the manner mentioned above, and then be sure to wash them thoroughly before wearing them.

Here's hoping NBC can get Wal-Mart and Marshall's to shape up and make sure that their bathing suits and underwear are kept fresh and clean for prospective customers.

For more on this story, please read the NBC article here.
Sources:

WPTV.com

Kineda.com