Vault: Returning panties to Victoria Secret

Summary

The Bert Show: "Vault: Returning panties to Victoria's Secret"

Date: July 17, 2026

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Overview

In this episode, The Bert Show crew dives into a jaw-dropping exposé on retail practices—specifically, the return and resale of used underwear at major department stores like Victoria’s Secret, Bloomingdale’s, and others. Spurred by an investigative report aired on the Today Show, the hosts and callers share shocking revelations, personal anecdotes, and plenty of banter, all building up to a disturbing consumer warning: those panties on the shelf might not be as new as you think.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Today Show Investigation

Setup and Secret Recording

• The show's main segment is triggered by a Today Show report where an ex-Victoria's Secret employee, Tiffany Luxinger, admits to a disturbing practice:

  “We would retake it and put it back on the sales floor.”
  – Tiffany Luxinger, former employee ([01:52])

• She details how returned underwear, even if used, was sometimes hung to “air out” and placed back for sale:

  "If a product comes back, is returned, it obviously has an odor to it. We will put it on a hanger, hang it up to dry overnight so the odor has time to come out of the product. We'll retake it the next day and put it back on the sales floor."
  – Tiffany Luxinger ([01:57])

Hosts’ Reactions

• The Bert Show crew is shocked, voicing disbelief and disgust, interspersed with typical irreverent humor.
• Bert: "That's where we start." ([02:17])

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2. Listener Call-Ins: Confessions from Former Staff

Real Store Practices

• A caller, Derek, mentions dating a Victoria’s Secret manager and describes store protocols:

  “...after they get returns back, they would have to go and inspect them in the back room. You know, pull out, like, black lights and flashlights and tweezers and all that. Never found anything. They go throw away. And she told me about a few incidents where they did find certain things.” ([03:06])

• The hosts joke about the absurdity and nauseating reality of this job:

  “Someone had the job to go in the back of Victoria's Secret, put the rubber gloves on, put it under the black light, and untweeze.”
  – Host ([03:40])

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3. Undercover Shopping: The Experiment

The Today Show Returns—Literally

• Undercover journalists buy underwear from eight retailers, remove tags and protective strips, mark them with dots, then return them. Hidden cameras capture the shocking truth:

  "At Bloomingdale's. Watch as this clerk re-tags our returned underwear, then casually walks it back out for sale. At Victoria's Secret, the clerk wastes no time sticking new sensors back on our thongs and bikini. And then another clerk puts them back on the shelf as new."
  – Reporter ([04:42])

• Important observation:

  “Amazingly, it's not illegal to sell used underwear.”
  – Reporter ([05:07])

Host Commentary

• The team is incredulous at how returns are instantly placed back on shelves:

  "So immediately, immediately it's going back on the shelf...if there's one [store doing this] that's too many."
  – Host ([05:24])

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4. Health Implications: What’s Lurking in There?

Expert Opinion

• A microbiologist, Peter Kamiek, warns of real health risks:

  “Used undergarments can harbor dangerous germs and diseases that can survive on fabric for weeks… Fecal material would be the most concerning substance. You could have bacteria, viruses, fungi. These are things that one person would be able to transfer to another inadvertently through the garment.”
  – Peter Kamiek, Microbiologist ([06:46])

Funny Yet Gross Banter

• The team riffs on the dire reporting tone and gross-out factor:

  "He's reporting on the germ warfare that's going on in the panties." ([06:09]) "The thongs and the bikinis are tainted..." – Commentator ([06:14]) "You've got some snooki on your Snooki panties." – Commentator ([07:33])

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5. Store-by-Store Differences: Not All Policies Match

Former Manager Weighs In

• A caller and former co-manager at Victoria’s Secret in Maine insists their store disposed of the items:

  “You’re supposed to damage them out…Victoria's Secret eats the cost… But for sure, make sure you wash your goodies before you put them on.”
  – Former Manager ([07:41])

• Reiterated advice by hosts and callers: Always wash new underwear before wearing.

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6. Pushing the Experiment Further: Stains and All

Up the Ante

• Investigators stain returned underwear with baby oil, expecting refusal, but find the stores still take and reshelve the items:

  "At the Gap, Bloomingdale's, Victoria's Secret, and Macy's, they not only took back the stained panties, but put them back out for sale."
  – Reporter ([08:42])

Cringeworthy Highlights

• The absurdity isn't lost on the hosts:

  "Damn." – Host ([08:51]) "How come not one clerk...was thoughtful enough to call a nurse to look into the oily vagina issue?" – Commentator ([08:52])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We would retake it and put it back on the sales floor.”
  – Tiffany Luxinger ([01:52])

• “If a product comes back, is returned, it obviously has an odor to it. We will put it on a hanger, hang it up to dry overnight so the odor has time to come out of the product. We'll retake it the next day and put it back on the sales floor.”
  – Tiffany Luxinger ([01:59])

• "So immediately, immediately it's going back on the shelf. Forget about the last dude that called that said some of them at least are going back in the room and tweezing and black lighting…directly back onto the shelf."
  – Host ([05:24])

• "Amazingly, it’s not illegal to sell used underwear."
  – Reporter ([05:07])

• "You could have bacteria, viruses, fungi. These are things that one person would be able to transfer to another inadvertently through the garment."
  – Peter Kamiek, Microbiologist ([06:55])

• “Make sure you wash your goodies before you put them on.”
  – Former Store Manager ([08:13])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:20–02:20: Today Show’s investigative setup and behind-the-scenes employee confession
• 03:06–03:40: Listener Derrick shares inside knowledge of return inspections
• 04:08–05:07: Hidden camera sting shop-and-return experiment described in detail
• 06:46–07:08: Microbiologist discusses health concerns and risks of used underwear
• 07:41–08:13: Former manager from Maine speaks on store-by-store policy differences
• 08:32–08:51: Baby oil experiment: even stained underwear returned to shelves

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Takeaways & Warnings

• Consumer Caution: Always wash new underwear before use, regardless of the store.
• Retail Policies Vary: Some stores dispose of returns properly, others do not—and you can't tell by looking.
• Health Risks Are Real: Bacteria, viruses, and more could be lurking in “new” panties.
• Even Major Retailers Are Guilty: The issue isn’t isolated and crosses reputable store brands.

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Tone & Style

The episode stays true to The Bert Show’s candid, comedic, and irreverent tone, blending shock with humor. There's equal time given to banter and listener calls as to the investigative details—making the discussion both informative and entertaining for casual listeners and fans alike.

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This summary covers all important content, skips non-content sections, and includes key quotes and timestamps for listeners seeking specific moments or insights.

Transcript

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[News Reporter]

America Social Casino. Get it? The Bird show.

[Talk Show Host]

Don't blame me. Blame the Today show. So this is pretty much the setup of the whole thing. They wanted to go out and they wanted to see if different department stores would take back underwear and were they putting it right back on the shelf or were they going, were they cleaning it? So that. Here's the setup on the Today show.

[News Reporter]

Tiffany Luxinger has worked at three Victoria's Secret stores. Now she's exposing a shocking secret behind the scenes. Employees accepting returned underwear that's been worn, then putting it back out for sale like it was new.

[Caller/Guest]

We would retake it and put it back on the sales floor.

[News Reporter]

Even though it may have been used.

[Caller/Guest]

It may have been used, yes.

[News Reporter]

And she says it gets much, much

[Caller/Guest]

worse if a product comes back, is returned, it obviously has an odor to it. We will put it on a hanger, hang it up to dry overnight so the odor has time to come out of the product. We'll retake it the next day and put it back on the sales floor.

[News Reporter]

That's disgusting.

[Caller/Guest]

It is disgusting.

[Talk Show Host]

That's where we start.

[Caller/Guest]

Okay, who is the woman who's admitting this?

[Talk Show Host]

Yeah, I Guess it's a former Victoria's Secret employee.

[Caller]

Wow.

[Commentator]

You know, it's random. Her name is Tiffany Luxinger. Yeah, pretty sure I went to high school with her. Really?

[Talk Show Host]

Get out of here. Really?

[Commentator]

Random is that.

[Talk Show Host]

That's the girl that you never get right there with a name like that.

[Commentator]

Dirty panties. Bring us all together.

[Talk Show Host]

Wow. So explain to me what she said at the very end there. About, like, an odor.

[Caller/Guest]

Odor.

[Talk Show Host]

It was an odor. Okay, an odor.

[Caller/Guest]

She said, that's a lovely word. Like, the underwear smelled bad. And so they were hanging up to the. I love women, but I want to choose the woman I love.

[Talk Show Host]

Okay, there are three more clips to play for you guys from that, and they are going to prove to you what she's saying is not a lie. And I'll get to those in a second. Derek, good morning. You're on Q100. Good morning.

[Caller]

On a Victoria's Secret comment. I used to date a manager, and she said that after they get returns back, they would have to go and inspect them in the back room. You know, pull out, like, black lights and flashlights and tweezers and all that. Never found anything. They go throw away. And she told me about a few incidents where they did find certain things.

[Caller/Guest]

So you're saying that in her store, they threw it away if they found something. I'm just laughing at the use of tweezers.

[Caller]

Disgusting.

[Talk Show Host]

Someone had that job.

[Caller/Guest]

Really nauseating.

[Talk Show Host]

Someone had the job to go in the back of Victoria's Secret, put the rubber gloves on, put it under the black light, and untweeze. Okay, so what he's saying is, don't worry. It's not every Victoria's Secret. It's not every department store. But if there's one that's too many, that's enough. All right, so that wasn't good enough for the Today show. They heard the words, so now they launched their own undercover.

[Caller/Guest]

Yell at me again.

[Commentator]

I got Chris Hansen. I'm going to hide him somewhere.

[News Reporter]

But we wonder how common.

[Talk Show Host]

First, we're going to give you the dramatic music, and then we're going to yell at you.

[Caller/Guest]

Yell at me.

[News Reporter]

But we wondered how common is this? To find out, we went shopping in an upscale mall in New Jersey, buying underwear, lingerie, and bikinis at eight major retailers, places we all shop. We took our skimpy apparel home and removed all the tags and protective stripping to make it look like they had been worn. Then we marked each pair with two tiny black dots. A week later, we went back to the stores and tried to return everything this time, wearing hidden cameras.

[Caller]

Hi.

Just like to return this stuff.

[News Reporter]

Believe it or not, every store took our items back for four full refunds. But what our hidden cameras caught next surprised even us at Bloomingdale's. Watch as this clerk re tags our returned underwear, then casually walks it back out for sale at Victoria's Secret. The clerk wastes no time sticking new sensors back on our thongs and bikini. And then another clerk puts them back on the shelf as new.

[Caller]

Thank you.

[News Reporter]

At the Gap, the clerk moves even faster, returning our used underwear to the sales floor. And within seconds in every case, we knew they were ours because of those two black dots. Amazingly, it's not illegal to sell used underwear.

[Talk Show Host]

So immediately, immediately it's going back on the shelf. Forget about the last dude that called that said some of them at least are going back in the room and tweezing and black lighting and the cases they're looking at directly back onto the shelf.

[Commentator]

I am seriously disturbed at the guy who's reporting on this as though he's reporting on the lack of body armor for troops in Afghanistan. Like he could see seriously be saying the equipment they use is not safe for roadside devices. We use tweezers to look for pubis of strangers in their underpants. Listen to him. There are not enough meals ready to eat for the troops serving our country. But two black dots indicated something that was in someone else's crack.

[Talk Show Host]

He's reporting on the germ warfare that's going on in the panties.

[Caller/Guest]

The thongs and the bikinis are tainted,

[Commentator]

are going to make your panties stinky, but we'll air them out before we resell them. I'll be back tomorrow with more updates. I'm very, very passionate about every single story I'm doing now.

[Talk Show Host]

So it's not enough that they've got the hidden camera right, and they've already busted them. Now they got to take the panties over to the microbiologist who's going to tell you how unhealthy this is.

[Commentator]

They could have health implications.

[News Reporter]

Microbiologist Peter Kamiek says used undergarments can harbor dangerous germs and diseases that can survive on fabric for weeks.

[Commentator]

Fecal material would be the most concerning substance. You could have bacteria, viruses, fungi. These are things that one person would be able to transfer to another inadvertently through the garment.

[News Reporter]

But that didn't stop most stores from rushing our items back on the rack.

[Talk Show Host]

All right, once again, you know he's talking about plenty of thongs that were returned.

[Caller/Guest]

He called it fungi. RAPPER FROM JAMAICAN

[Talk Show Host]

it's not Happening everywhere.

[Caller/Guest]

But gross, gross, gross.

[Talk Show Host]

And this is New Jersey where they did the testing.

[Caller/Guest]

What is the upscale stores in New Jersey? Really?

[Commentator]

You've got some snooki on your Snooki panties.

[Talk Show Host]

Hey, Wendy, Good Morning. You're on Q100.

[Caller]

Hey, good morning.

[Talk Show Host]

Good morning.

[Caller]

Good morning.

Good morning. I was a co manager for Victoria's Secret up in Maine and I can absolutely confirm that people do returned items that have been worn and we did not put them back out. At least I didn't allow the girls to put it out personally. You're supposed to damage them out. There's an actual code and Victoria's Secret beats the cost, so you are supposed to damage it out. Whether or not people choose to do that or not is probably on a per store basis. But for sure, make sure you wash your goodies before you put them on.

[Talk Show Host]

I would have never thought that this morning we would have given out that warning.

[Commentator]

Can you clarify?

[Caller]

Goodies, Goodies as in any. Anything you buy. Victoria.

[Talk Show Host]

Look, I hate reporting on this. I hate to report on this report because I totally endorse women. Going to Victoria's Secret and getting your shop.

[Caller/Guest]

Well, you just got to come home and wash it.

[Talk Show Host]

You got to wash it very well.

[News Reporter]

So we took our experiment up a notch. Before returning the underwear, we visibly stained several pairs with baby oil. Surely no store would take those back, right?

[Commentator]

What?

[News Reporter]

Wrong. At the Gap, Bloomingdale's, Victor a Secret, and Macy's, they not only took back the stained panties, but put them back out for sale.

[Talk Show Host]

Damn.

[Commentator]

And how come not one clerk. One clerk was thoughtful enough to call a nurse to look into the oily vagina issue? That the returning patron had Oily vagina.

[Caller/Guest]

Because yeah, a guy to say the panties. A guy's not gonna put the right thing in there. Can you please stop talking about mustard in there? Rub it in.

[Commentator]

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[Caller/Guest]

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[Commentator]

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[Commentator]

I don't think that's right. It's oily and it's just gross.

[Talk Show Host]

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