Clothes for Shoots & Retail Theft

It happens rather often.  A model posts in the forums looking for suggestions regarding where to buy wardrobe for shoots, where to shop, how to find great deals, etc.  And every single time, a few posts in, it happens.  The Bad Advice Fairy pops in.  And inevitably, in this case, she waves her sparkly wand and sing-songs, “Just return the clothes after you wear them.  Keep the tags on.  It’s easy!  I do it all the time!”

Sure, in theory, buying something, wearing it for a shoot (tucking the tags in), and returning it is a great way to get a varied wardrobe without spending a lot of money.  Tons of people do it for special occasions, to try out new items like digital cameras, and for all sorts of things.  And besides, who’s going to know, right?  Wrong. There’s a huge problem with it.  It’s not only dishonest, but in the retail world, it’s considered theft.

Getting Nothing from TF*

Earlier today a thread was started asking about how to ensure people get images from trade shoots.  In the thread, a photographer said, essentially, that if he isn’t happy with how just one of the shoot team (model, MUA, hair stylist, etc) performed, by looking at the resulting shots, he won’t give images to anyone.  Simply, they’re not up to par in his eyes because one person did a sub-par job, so no one gets anything as a result.