If you’re thinking of sending back a disappointing gift you just received over the holidays, the return may bring even more disappointment.
Americans have grown accustomed to free returns, but a growing number of retailers are charging fees as returns squeeze retailers’ bottom lines.
Macy’s, Abercrombie, J. Crew, H&M and other companies have all added shipping fees for mail-in returns.
And it’s not just the big mall brands, either. Eighty-one precent of merchants are now charging a fee for at least some methods of returns, according to Happy Returns, a logistics company that specializes in returns.
That is what they want. Offer free returns in store, and people will go to their physical locations and also buy something else.
That’s what kohl’s does in taking Amazon returns. They even give you a $5 store credit to sweeten the allure on your walk from the back of the store
Not to mention the additional traffic it generates, good for the corporate machine at large