Retailers are seeing more apparel returns and exchanges tied to customers' use of GLP-1 weight-loss medications.
The drugs, a class that includes medications used for weight loss and diabetes treatment, can lead to rapid body-size changes. That has some shoppers buying multiple sizes of the same item, trying them on at home, and returning what does not fit.
Some users can drop about one clothing size a month at peak weight loss, according to The Wall Street Journal.
That creates a moving target for shoppers and a margin problem for stores.
Returns are expensive for retailers because they involve shipping, labor, warehouse handling, and restocking. Items that come back late may also be out of season, forcing stores to sell them at a discount.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the share of apparel exchanges where shoppers sized down has climbed for three straight calendar years, reaching 14.6 percent in 2025, according to Narvar, which manages returns for retailers.
Some online retailers have seen sharp increases in returns from shoppers who are losing weight, the report said.
The trend is also changing what retailers stock. Demand is moving away from some larger sizes, while stores are under increasing pressure to carry smaller sizes and more flexible fit options.
CNBC has also reported that GLP-1 use is affecting apparel retail, with companies trying to understand how changing body sizes are reshaping demand.
The trend is not only a headache for retailers. It could also become a sales opportunity.
Market analysts cited by CNBC have estimated that wardrobe changes tied to GLP-1 use could add $3 billion to $13 billion in annual apparel spending as shoppers replace clothing that no longer fits.
That means the same trend driving return costs may also push new demand for jeans, work clothes, bras, dresses, and activewear.
For retailers, the challenge is figuring out how to capture that spending without being buried by returns.
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