What happens to all your returned items?
Posted by Shaddolf@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 128 comments
Often I see people (who I assume are American) talk about how they used an item for a few days, didn’t like it so returned it.
How does this work exactly? What will the store do with that computer mouse you used for 3 days? Is there a section of the store full of returned items they sell at a discount? I imagine they can’t just put it back on the shelf with brand new stock?
Here in Australia you can only usually return items if there is something wrong with it. Not just because you didn’t like it.
cerulean_sage@reddit
I never understood how people make that distinction. "Is something wrong with it?" "Yes. I don't like it. That's what's wrong with it."
Mother_Boss_8148@reddit
I know someone who owns a warehouse that handles returns. Some companies will just donate open-box items; they’re taken to a local independent thrift store and the company gets a tax write off. Other companies pay to have items inspected and put back into inventory, put on clearance, etc. I occasionally get Amazon items that appear to have been returns. Depends on the seller for sure.
minidog8@reddit
It varies by store. I work at Target and it goes two ways if a product cannot be sold again:
Sent back to warehouse (to be refurbished, resold, repackaged, or disposed of)
Sent out in a pallet with other returned or damaged items to be sold as-is at a steep discount by the pallet. A lot of times liquidation stores buy these pallets and sell the items to the public at a discount to the original retail price that still nets them a profit.
If it's food, it gets tossed unless it is shelf stable and unopened, in which case it gets open. Some other items get donated as well (usually deodorant, package of toothbrushes with one missing, that sort of thing.) Chemicals get disposed of in an environmentally safe way depending what they are.
If the item can be put out on the floor (unused, undamaged), we have discretion to markdown the item for minor defects (a ding on a floating shelf, a mark on a comforter, a blanket that I can't get completely back into its original packaging). Usually it's like a 20% markdown; I go with the auto generated suggestion. Then those items go on a clearance endcap.
minidog8@reddit
Also, our return and exchange policies are as follows:
-1 year for Target owned brands if you are dissatisfied or item is defective
-90 days for almost all items
-30 days for electronics and books
-14 days for Apple products
And you get 30 extra days if you have the store credit card.
cooking2recovery@reddit
We have things called “overstock stores” that purchase and resell overstock (obviously) as well as returns or lightly damaged items for large discounts.
pittpanthers95@reddit
I like my local version of that - instead of stores, they stash their stuff in warehouses and auction it on an app with everything starting at $1
moonbunnychan@reddit
It's shocking how many Americans don't realize most of their Amazon returns don't in fact go back on Amazon but end up at those stores. And the store near me I've SEEN at the end of the week after their everything is a dollar day just shoveling things into the garbage. The whole system is so wasteful.
straycatwrangler@reddit
I used to work at a Walmart superstore, so I can't speak for all returned items, but I used to handle many different kinds of returns. Food, clothes, electronics, random shit bought online through Walmart's marketplace (similar to Amazon, sold by third party sellers and not sold in Walmart's store), makeup, medication, etc. Returning an item and it being sold again purely depends on what the item is, if it was opened/used, if it's defective, and a few other things.
Things like guns, sex toys, and most medications can't be returned at all. You'd have to contact the manufacturer at that point if something were wrong with the item.
Food? It can be returned (most of the time) and will be disposed of. Even if it isn't opened, it has to be thrown away.
An item where nothing is wrong with it, it wasn't worn, it's not opened, it looks brand new, etc? It goes back on the floor and can be sold like new. We do open items, carefully, to make sure everything is inside if there's no clear window on the packaging.
An item is returned, but it's defective, it didn't fit right, wasn't liked but was used? It gets marked out of the system and handled by workers who handle "claims". Claims are items that are returned/damaged/etc, but cannot be thrown away. I think those items can sent back to the manufacturer. If it can be thrown away, we mark it out of the system and toss it.
If it's returned, there's nothing wrong with it, but the packaging is all fucked up, we can mark the price down and try to repackage it with tape. These items would go on a specific shelf with other things that are marked down for various reasons, not just because they were returned.
And as for why we can or can't do certain things with returns has all to do with the return policy. They want to keep customers pleased and coming back, so a lot of return policies tend to be decently lenient.
Mean-Concentrate-257@reddit
I worked at Target, and we had a few categories for returns. If something hadn't been used and was still packaged, it went back on the floor and was sold as new. If it had been used or was defective, it either went right in the trash or it was sent back to the manufacturer. Even some new things that were returned in new condition automatically went back to the manufacturer. This stuff was probably sent to those discount stores. Food, makeup, and anything you wouldn't want to even consider might be used was thrown immediately away. The only exceptions were unopened, non-perishable items like unopened coffee, boxes of cereal, diapers, sanitary pads, etc--we sent those to homeless and women's shelters.
CheesE4Every1@reddit
Because of the rules for alot of these returns they will return to the floor as long as they are in working order.
Alcohol is disposed of.
Food is also disposed of.
Clothes can go back on the rack as long as there are no stains or anything, stains and stuff like that will usually make them ineligible to be returned but if they are they can end up in a second-hand store.
Practical-Ordinary-6@reddit
That's all factored into the way the business operates. They know there are going to be a certain percentage of returns that they won't get their value back on but if you spread that cost out over all the successful sales it's a small percentage.
It's basically acting like a group insurance policy. You cover every customer with the return policy because you're not paying out to every customer. Every single customer pays a little bit more built into the price of what they buy as a sort of insurance premium. That's your insurance plan for if you have to return the product. That little bit of extra they collect from everyone covers the operational cost of the policy, because most sales will really be final and the store will have no further responsibility. It's the basic idea of insurance. Everybody pays in a little and that covers the cost of people who have something go wrong and need a payout.
It's a long-term strategic view aimed at retaining customers. That's where the real profit is in business -- repeat customers. Repeat customers equals long-term success. If you fight a customer over a $12 product and they take their $500 a year of spending in that store somewhere else forever then you might not have lost money on that $12 product but you've lost $1,500 in sales over the next 3 years. That trade-off is not worth it. And it's not really costing you money directly because you have factored that into your pricing strategy. The customer has already paid for that insurance. The price of the return is covered due to your Forward thinking. You get to look generous and helpful and the customer walks away happy and is likely to come back again. If you fight them over a $12 product they're not going to walk away happy and they might never come back.
EightEqualsSignD@reddit
Return policies vary by store and item. I find electronics to be pretty generous in their return policies, though. Usually 30-60 days for peripherals.
Things sometimes don't work out (not just fail to function), and the store would rather you return the $200 item and purchase another than to be unsatisfied and never shop at that location again.
Shaddolf@reddit (OP)
But something like a computer mouse almost always needs to be cut out of the rigid plastic holding it in. How can someone use a mouse for 3 days and just return it? I still find it so bizarre.
I would hate to buy a mouse for full price and find out it’s been used. I’d also hate to own a store and have a customer return an item I feel like I’d have to mark down to sell through no fault of my own.
real_agent_99@reddit
It will be disclosed if you're buying a returned item ("open box") and you'd pay a lower price.
EightEqualsSignD@reddit
The store sets the policy. It's not like it's a law to accept an open item. Any consumer rights about returning items relate to broken items or false advertisement, not arbitrary satisfaction.
And the stores that do accept open items are usually big box stores. They're not losing a ton of money, if any. They can sometimes return the item to the manufacturer, for instance.
urfriendflicka@reddit
A lot of tge stores I buy electronics from offer "open box" items at a discount. They're usually certified as being in working condition as well as physical condition ( ie "like new" "minor cosmetic damage " etc). These open box items typically still have some sort of warranty and can be returned if needed. Price market on well, everything, is so high that the stores aren't likely to ACTUALLY be losing money on the items, people are more likely to buy from stores with generous return policies AND to try something they may otherwise be leery about trying if they know they can return it of they don't like it.
I myself have needed a new Chromebook but couldn't afford one at the regular price. I was able to buy one because there was an open box item that I could scrape together the money for. I can't be the only person who was only able to purchase something bc of the open box discount, meaning the stores are getting people to buy when they otherwise wouldn't.
seatownquilt-N-plant@reddit
They open items are usually sold at discount and there will be stickers on it that say 'Open Item' or something similar. And the box or packaging is affixed closed with obvious special tape. Like a box for a computer keyboard at Best Buy might be taped shut with tape with Best Buy logos on it.
zedazeni@reddit
It depends on the store, obviously, but most large stores actually track an individual’s return and purchase history. Home Depot has somewhat (in)famously done this where they’ll ban customers from returning items if the customer returns too many things without offsetting it by purchasing a lot as well.
I’ve worked retail as well and we’ve had plenty of managers deny customers refunds for blatant misuse of policy.
Likewise, every single company is going to have refunds and shrink built in to their pricing (usually less the 3% in my experience). They’re not unaware, and they usually give local managers a degree of discretion.
As for the products themselves, look into TJMaxx, Home Goods, and Marshals. They usually sell returned and overstock products. Many stores will also have a discount shelf for returned products, or will simply write a discount on the item itself and resell it. Otherwise, usually straight to the garbage.
OneNerdyLesbian@reddit
They're not usually going to sell you a returned item under the pretense that it's new. I won't say it never happens, but most of the time, returned products are sold at a discounted price.
big_sugi@reddit
This is the origin of “the customer is always right.” (The real origin; “the customer is always right in matters of taste” is a newer phrase.)
From November 1905:
1905 November 11, Corbett’s Herald, Topics of the Times, Quote Page 4, Providence, Rhode Island.
Up until this point, the prevailing business philosophy was “caveat emptor” or “the buyer can get fucked once we have their money.” The shift to a customer-service-based philosophy was incredibly successful and thus enormously influential.
555-starwars@reddit
To be fair, adding 'in matters of taste' helps get the point across., but if the customer is satisfied that is the goal.
Jumpy-Cranberry-1633@reddit
If it’s in good condition they rebox it and sell it for full price.
If it’s in anything but good condition they may try to sell it but usually trash it.
I used to work for Victoria Secret and we would trash almost all returns so any reason. “Oh theres lint? Trash.” And then when we trashed items we were instructed to cut the straps and cups of items to make them actually worthless.
KeyJunket1175@reddit
That just sounds crazy wasteful and petty
Jumpy-Cranberry-1633@reddit
Oh it was. I was told they started doing that after people would return items “ruined” (makeup, too much perfume, whatever) so that we would trash them. Get their money back. Then go dumpster diving and get the things they returned back plus whatever else they wanted and found.
Honestly kind of smart but also gross.
KeyJunket1175@reddit
why accept the return if the item is not in perfect as new condition?
Me_be_Artful_Dodger@reddit
Because the customer is always right here.
KeyJunket1175@reddit
Okay, but I thought that was within the boundaries of common sense. At this point it just sounds like anyone can have anything for free if they don't mind returning stuff every other day.
Can I buy a turbocharger, fit it to my racecar, then return it after the first race and say I didn't like it?
4Q69freak@reddit
Depends on the company’s return policy. The company I work for you could, as long as it was within 30 days and you had the receipt. We joke about it and call those returns “rentals”. We do have the occasional person do it with bigger ticket items, not often but it does occur.
codenameajax67@reddit
Because the knowledge that if something doesn't workout you can return it makes people more likely to buy and try.
And most people forget to return items.
o93mink@reddit
Depends on the store and their return policy
Mental_Freedom_1648@reddit
There are limits, and some stores will keep a list and not accept returns from repeat offenders.
TheManicPolymath@reddit
The biggest argument for accommodating isolated incidents is this: bad word of mouth will hurt. A one-star review from a petty customer may broadly hurt sales, so better to eat the loss.
big_sugi@reddit
It also keeps employees from having their friends come in, buy the item, return it, “trash it” and actually have the employee set aside to take home later.
4Q69freak@reddit
Would you buy returned underwear? Thats a big nope here. I’d be afraid of STDs or crabs.
KeyJunket1175@reddit
agreed, I would not. But if I were the shop owner I would not accept returns unless in their original intact packaging, or at least in perfect new state allowing them to try it on if its a good fit or not. That way I am not being wasteful and I don't have to worry about a secondary market emerging from returned items gone to the bin or employees.
Alycion@reddit
Not everyone is clean/hygienic. Some even will buy for just one night. So do you want something that someone got busy in and returned after that night?
My mom worked clothing retail a long time . Panties always got trashed. Some stores would clean bras and donate. But many places aren’t going to accept used undergarments or bathing suits.
It’s wasteful, but if someone hits the long shot and contracts something like HPV, that’s a nice lawsuit. It is extremely rare and unlikely, but there have been cases.
If they weren’t washed between use and return, things like crabs, scabies, UTIs, skin infections, and quite a bit more can be contracted. Sometimes wasteful is safest.
But you should always wash anything before wearing anyway, since clothes are often packed in chemicals to keep the pests from destroying them in shipment and warehouse storage.
Aussiechimp@reddit
Why are they accepting worn underwear as a return in the first place?
danhm@reddit
They see it as the cost of getting loyal customers.
Head_Razzmatazz7174@reddit
A lot of places won't return worn underwear. If it came in a bulk package, you can return the rest in the original package for a refund (some stores give a partial refund, most just do a full refund.) The rest can be resealed and marked down to try to recoup at least part of it.
If it's obviously badly worn or soiled, 99% of the time, stores will refuse it. There is that 1% of new employees who just refund everything, just to get an annoying customer out of the store, or they don't know they can refuse it. We had a new SD employee who didn't say no to a very nasty bag of used underwear and that led to a very intense discussion with the service desk manager with some retraining of said employee.
sparklyspooky@reddit
That was probably after the Dateline episode where they showed VS restocking panties stained with baby oil. Because using real discharge would be a biohazard.
Negative-Arachnid-65@reddit
They don't want a secondary market developing, especially of anything that might actually be damaged/defective in some way.
So it's wasteful and petty and also makes total sense from their purely 'maximize profit, minimize exposure, protect the brand' standpoint. Isn't capitalism fun?
rcowie@reddit
You want to be extra furious? I used to work in the salmon fishing industry. I'd see dozens of beautiful giant king salmon go into the grinder every day. Just because they were by catch. Any one of those employees could have made dinner for 20 or more but nope, straight to the grinder. Made me sick to see.
karmapuhlease@reddit
Sorry, can you explain "they were by catch"? I have no idea what that means unfortunately.
rcowie@reddit
It just means the fish were harvested, or caught, in an unintentional way. The regulations for harvesting king salmon in AK are strict as the species is hurting. So fish caught out of season in a net would be destroyed. All steelhead salmon were destroyed as there was no legal market for it. Had a friend/coworker almost get fired for saving a couple from the grinder for personal use.
karmapuhlease@reddit
Ah, got it - so if they had been caught the same way during the correct season, it would have been fine? And they were caught accidentally while trying to (legally) catch a different kind of fish?
rcowie@reddit
Its a combination of issues, and to complicate matters, I wasn't high enough in the food chain to know all the rules for commercial fishing. There were open catch periods and them they would close it, but the commercial guys cant sort through fish fast enough to keep them alive on deck. On top of that there are different grades of wild caught fish, net caught is lower than troll caught by a lot.
arguix@reddit
worked at Bloomingdale’s, we had to cut of cords of all appliances before trashing
EvernightStrangely@reddit
That's rampant capitalism for you. If they can't legally sell it they'll make damned sure you can't get it for free.
ChaosTorpedo@reddit
I worked there for six months. I hated doing this. It was so wasteful.
Great_Chipmunk4357@reddit
Many stores repackage the returned item and offer it for sale, again, usually at a reduced price. They indicate that it's been used before. It's very easy to return items in the US, as long as you have to receipt to prove that you were really the one who bought it.
IAmSoDamnGood@reddit
they get put back in a fresh package and sold to someone else as new.
snowwipe@reddit
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LetterheadClassic306@reddit
most big stores like target or best buy can't put used items back on the shelf. electronics often get refurbished and sold as open-box or on their discount sites. clothes get donated or liquidated in bulk. some stuff like food or cosmetics just gets tossed. amazon actually sells huge pallets of returns to resellers who auction them. so that mouse someone used for 3 days might end up on ebay for half price.
KaBar42@reddit
I worked men's apparel and footwear.
Anything visually worn or otherwise damaged in some way (smells like foot, soaking wet, pissed on, bled on, etc. etc.) Would get defected out. Basically, sent back to the central warehouse to be removed from inventory.
The really gross shit, like blood and piss, would get biohazarded out and just tossed. The company had a way for stores to do that, but they preferred defecting it back to the main warehouse if feasible.
That being said, customer service was really lazy about checking returns. I once found a box of Ariats and the damn things were caked in dry mud. It looked like Brokeback cosplayer tramped around in them and stepped into mud deeper than he realized it was and got stuck.
Technically we were supposed to defect clothing if we could smell it had been washed, but it was hit or miss on whether we did that or not.
FreeStateOfPortland@reddit
It really depends. If there’s something wrong with it, it’s probably going to go to an overstock company and potentially be refurbished.
If it’s something you buy on Amazon and you never open it, they’ll probably resell it.
At other stores, if it’s in pretty good condition, they’ll probably restock it as long as all the packaging is intact.
Tankieforever@reddit
Amazon gets so many returns they don’t want to pay to sort through them all. There’s stores in my city that buy crates of Amazon returns and auction them or sell them flat price in bins. Whether it’s a $300 speaker or a $15 shower curtain, everything in the bins is the same price (which reduces by day - Monday everything is $20, by Friday everything is 3/$5, but all the good stuff is gone by then. They are closed on the weekend to clean out the leftovers and refill the bins)
FreeStateOfPortland@reddit
A lot of things are pre-sorted, especially if return to Amazon return locations like Whole Foods. For some what you’re saying may be true, but others are resold through Amazon Warehouse and things that are returned unopened and in good condition get re-sold as new
Traditional_Entry183@reddit
I worked at a retail store for 15 years, mostly as a manager. We had three possible things that could happen.
A) If the product was not electronics, and it looked fine and intact, including packaging, we would put it back on the shelf to resell.
B) If it was not electronics but there was something wrong with either the item or the package, then we would either store use it, or destroy it.
C) If it was electronics and open, then it never got resold. It would be entered into the computer, and we would get a code either to send it back to the warehouse, or we would destroy it.
Shaddolf@reddit (OP)
What if someone returned a $3k laptop after a week as they just didn’t like it? Surely not destroy, the warehouse would cop the loss and take it back?
Traditional_Entry183@reddit
Laptops were exchange only. No money back. So on the customer end, that limited it. But with most high dollar tech it was sent from us to the warehouse and from there to a center where it was checked and processed. My store still lost money on all returns though. So if they bought a $300 Printer in another town and returned it a week later at my store, that was -$300 in sales.
seancbo@reddit
Depending on where you return it too, there's actually stores that all the return items get offloaded too. They're tossed into huge bins and blanket priced for liquidation.
Tankieforever@reddit
The one near me starts at $20 on Monday, reduces throughout the week until it’s like 3/$5 Friday, and then refills the bins for the next week
seancbo@reddit
Yep, same. Mine starts at 12, goes down to 2 over the days, closes for restock
Adorable_Dust3799@reddit
The store kicks it back to their retailer who either sells as a refurbished item, or passes it on to a discount seller. I have 3 dysons bought as refurbs for between $100 and $200 each from woot, an amazon affiliate.
Shaddolf@reddit (OP)
Thanks for all the replies - are small businesses expected to do this as well? Or only applies to places like wal mart
MyUsername2459@reddit
Businesses are free to set their own return policies.
Legal rules around it only extend to products being defective or if they were falsely advertised.
In practice, small businesses tend to be stricter about returns than "big box" retailers.
sneezhousing@reddit
Small business tend to be more strict with returns vs a Target
Adjective-Noun123456@reddit
A business, regardless of its size, is free to set whatever kind of return policy it wants.
drnewcomb@reddit
https://www.salvageworldllc.com/
classiest_trashiest@reddit
lol I worked at a store where they had a guaranteed return policy. So basically lifetime return. It could be in literal shambles and purchased the first year the store was in business and we had to take it back. So yeah, really depends on the store 🙃
spiritualspatula@reddit
One of the companies with a wilder return policy in the US was REI (I say was because people abused it so much it's changed a bit). To get rid of said product, they'd host store garage sales, with deeply discounted products that were either perfect or had literally been set on fire by the dipshit original buyer. Best part? The tag always listed the reason for return, so you knew how fucking dumb/deceitful the original buyer was.
rebby2000@reddit
It depends on the item. Food or things like cosmetics and skincare? Those tend to be tossed because there's too high a risk of someone getting sick from them if they're contaminated, so tossing it protects the store - plus there was a string of murders in the US that came from contaminated medicine, so that in general tends to make laws around that kind of thing more strict.
For things like electronics, clothes, etc. It depends on the store. Some places will sell it at a discount, some will sell it on to overstock stores.
Grouchy-Macaron-1780@reddit
Not everyone does this. I absloutely can't stand people who do this. I worked in retail for years, and regardless of what people believed, this is a bad practice.
I mean those who wear or use something then return it because they dont like it.
If there's a defect, then by all means return it. But if you use something a few times, and decide you can't use it, or dont know how, or it "seemed like a good idea" and now it isnt, but used it anyway, keep it, and sell it on marketplace. Returning a used, but otherwise non-defective item is ghetto.
Wild_Ticket1413@reddit
It will either be:
Which of these depends on the condition of the item when returned, the reason it was returned, the type of item, and the retailer.
For example, an unopened gift return will likely be put back out on the shelf. An item that was returned because it was defective may be sent out to be repaired.
goblin_hipster@reddit
It depends. If there's nothing wrong with the item--like it's not been used or opened or anything--then it goes straight back to the shelf. At Target (and other big stores, probably) seasonal items are sent back to the warehouse.
Foods that can still be eaten (like a box of crackers with 1 missing sleeve or something) are donated to the local food pantry. In other places, they will be heavily marked down.
Patient_Parsley7760@reddit
Most stores I know of will not accept a return without the original packaging and the receipt (or in the case of clothing, the tags still on the item) You need to prove it came from that particular store and that you're not trying to pull off a scam by , for example, stealing an item from one Walmart and returning it to another Walmart for cash. With returns, most stores these days will just give you store credit and not cash.
If the return goes through, I think most places will put the items in a discount bin/rack.
Wearing a dress for one event and then returning it used to be more common in the 70s and 80s when stores didn't really have the ability to track scams.
Legally, you could sell items you don't like online. Places like Threadup will accept used clothing, and there are other places to sell used household goods and technology. For most people, that's just easier than driving all the way back to the store, only to find out you can't get cash for a return anyway.
unmgrad@reddit
I’m the accountant for a manufacturing plant. We produce jarred food items. Returns and damaged jars are recoded at store level then deducted off our payments. We sell a store chain $10,000 of goods, but our check will be $6,000 due to breakage, returns, and bill backs. It was crazy to learn this.
burnedbard@reddit
Depends on a lot of things. Store, what the item is, why you returned it and the condition. For example, a gaming mouse you used for like a day if that then returned to like Best Buy because you didn't like it, it'd get boxed back up and sold at a discount as Open box most likely.
ImplicitEmpiricism@reddit
people buy pallets of returned items, skim off the electronics, and sell the rest at flat rate bin stores
https://www.hellobrigit.com/learn/whats-a-bin-store
brandoldme@reddit
REI is an outdoor store. Members can return pretty much anything within a year of purchase even if used. There are some exceptions. And some people will get banned for abusing that.
For the most part, these will be repriced as a used item and sold as "resupply" items. Some people find really good deals on these used items. Especially if they're not torn up or used up.
Sometimes I've been told to keep an item or throw it away when I've tried to return it for other places. Walmart has done that.
PowerfulFunny5@reddit
Best Buy has an “open box” section of most departments selling those items for less for MSRP. They have grades of equipment (like poor good and great) so ones that don’t look used sell at a higher price.
anneofgraygardens@reddit
I bought my computer because it had been previously purchased and then returned. It had been marked down by a couple hundred bucks by Best Buy because of this, which put it into my price range. It's nicer than one i could have afforded otherwise, I'm very happy with it
Pemminpro@reddit
The get put back on the shelf, sold as refurbished, end up at an overstock store, donated or trashed depending on the specifics of the product
cdecker0606@reddit
Some stores resell open box items at a discount. They show the reason for the return on the sticker and condition of the item (missing a part, scratched, etc). This is what a lot of electronic stores do. REI also does this, but you have to be a member to actually buy the items.
sneezhousing@reddit
I worked retail for years so answer is depends
Some items like a mouse if the box isn't damaged or anything looks fine just put it back on the floor sell it regular price.
If it looks open there is a choice they might just damage it out. Meaning they toss it in the trash report it as damaged to corporate ( they then treat it as something that was damaged in shipping or on the floor and write it off as a loss when time to file taxes they can deduct some of those losses)
They slap a 10%of discount on it and sell it or send it back to corporate who sells it to over stock stores and places at a discount.
Depends in the store and how the items comes back
Honestly though most items just go back in the floor. Most returns are usually same condition and are sellable.
freemanposse@reddit
I work in retail.
90 percent of returns do, in fact, just go right back on the shelf, albeit with a discount. I usually take off a minimum of 10 percent just based on the box having been opened and go up from there depending on what else is wrong.
Next-Law2029@reddit
it’s super crazy how lenient returns are here, like you can totally just change your mind and send it back. they usually check it out, and yeah, might end up in a sale pile or something. kinda wild thinking how much stuff people go thru that way, right?
crazycatlady331@reddit
I worked at Kohl's in college. Aka Karen's natural habitat.
We had so many customers who would buy carts full of merchandise and then return 90% of it a week later.
Next-Law2029@reddit
Could you tell if the stuff seemed used? I feel the majority exploited this right
crazycatlady331@reddit
Most of it was clearly not (ie clothes with tags still on them), packaging never opened.
A lot of our customer base was SAHMs with school aged kids. They bought items in multiple sizes for their kids (and husband) and kept the one that fit.
DangerousBlacksmith7@reddit
Ive worked in retail and in grocery stores before and it varies.
In grocery stores (at least the ones I've worked in) they will throw out the food you return. Even if it's unopened and the package looks fine. Its for food safety. Its wasteful but you don't want people to get sick.
When i worked in retail and we would get a return it would for the most part be put back on the shelf and re sold. Sometimes things will be returned because they bought two different items. For example if someone is remodeling their house they might buy multiple different styles of curtains to see which ones they like. Then they will return the ones they don't like and buy more of the ones they do like.
RobotShlomo@reddit
A lot of times, they're sold at a discount and marked as "open box"
TheJokersChild@reddit
A place like Best Buy or a Lowe's/Depot-type home store will sell it open-box for a discount and price it based on condition. Even though it's technically new, it can't be sold as new after it's been opened. Computers come back because the spec is wrong (not enough RAM, wrong screen resolution, etc.), even things like refrigerators get returned if they don't fit the space in the buyer's house. You can save a lot of money buying this way.
Maurice_Foot@reddit
Amazon has a refurb store where they sell open box and refurbished items. I haven’t had any issues buying from there.
crazycatlady331@reddit
In the early 2000s, I worked the return desk at a big box store. Unless the item was damaged, it was put back out on the floor for sale.
GSilky@reddit
I used to manage a reverse logistics process for a major retailer. We save what we can, if unopened or at least repackagable, it goes back to be sold. If defective, it is either trashed at the store or sent to the manufacturer. If it's just an ass renting a mouse for a few days, it also most likely gets trashed. The company toyed around with just sending everything back as is, but that was incredibly wasteful and expensive.
Comprehensive-Tea-69@reddit
Most stores offer discounted “open box” items. That’s exactly what these are, items that work fine but didn’t work out for the original purchaser for some other reason
MsPooka@reddit
Many items that are still like new go back on the shelves. Other items are sold at a loss in bulk and then they are resold by other stores. But people return crazy stuff. I remember in high school my friend's family returned their Christmas ham after they ate more than half of it. And they got their money back too. I'd never have the balls to do that.
Diamondog85@reddit
I returned half a box of diapers to Costco because my kid grew out of them they gave me a Costco card for the full value
Aussiechimp@reddit
That seems crazy to me, as a non American
river-running@reddit
Costco is a bit of an outlier in terms of their very generous return policy.
Free-Sherbet2206@reddit
It depends on the company and the vendors. I worked at a store for a long time where the used items would get scanned and based on the vendor, there were certain things we could do with them. Some would allow us to resell it “as-is,” some required items to be sent back to them, and some required items be destroyed and disposed of.
Asparagus9000@reddit
Exactly. Some stores do have a small section of returned items. Best Buy and Target for example.
smurfe@reddit
I work at a hardware store. We have tools, particularly specialty tools, that are returned all the time. I had a woman buy a hammer the other day, wanting the cheapest hammer we had, as she had one picture to hang. She came back the next day to return the hammer. Faucet repair tools, like stem wrenches, seat tools, and particularly bath drain basket tools, are so common I have told customers I'll see them when they bring them back to return them. That will guilt many not to try to return them after they use them for a one-time job.
cyvaquero@reddit
They may be resold at the store as an “opened item”. They may get sold to overstock stores, or online auction sites (ex. http://mac.bid ). Some things have to be sent back to be recertified (like power tools) and then resold. Certain things that would pose a health risk if resold are generally written off and tossed.
Blaizefed@reddit
The VAST majority of stuff gets thrown out.
And your gut reaction to this is not wrong. It’s a real problem that in the last decade or two, US shoppers have developed this feeling that nothing they buy is truly theirs until the return window closes. Everyone seems to think it’s morally acceptable to use things be it clothes, tools, electronics, whatever, for 2 months and then decide “meh, I’d rather have the money back now” and return it.
And of course drives up the prices of everything for everyone, that stores know they will end up having to accept returns on a percentage of all sales and throw the stock away.
Sergio_Poduno@reddit
It's all paid for. Price of an item includes possible returns.
Shaddolf@reddit (OP)
But things aren’t any cheaper for those of us in other countries where we can’t do this!
Sergio_Poduno@reddit
Seller makes more profit and can lower the price. A lot of people don't buy if return is not accepted.
Wide-Mulberry-8275@reddit
lol yeah it's wild how easy it is to return stuff here. like if you don't like a mouse, they'll just take it back, usually inspect it, and then sometimes it'll go to a discount section or be resold as open box. it’s kinda handy but also makes ya wonder how many people really use stuff just to return it, ya know?
Different_Cherry8326@reddit
Some goes in the trash but a lot of it gets thrown in bins and eventually auctioned in lots to people who resell on platforms like eBay.
There are YouTube videos about reselling Amazon returns etc. to me it looks like a lot of work and hassle for not very much money, but it might beat flipping burgers.
easy_Money@reddit
These are companies that operate with substantial profits and have things like theft and returns down to a statistical science, it's built into their business plan.
It's much more valuable to eat the $15 cost on a return if it means keeping you as repeat customer.
FWEngineer@reddit
There's been occasions where I've ordered something online, got the wrong part and complained. They sent the replacement part and told me to throw out the original. It's not worth sending it back & processing the return for the off chance it can be resold.
easy_Money@reddit
Oh yeah, it's happened with me for things that cost thousands of dollars like furniture. Paid around $2000 for a TV stand that showed up with a small, strictly cosmetic crack in it and they told me to just keep it and sent another.
starbuildstrike999@reddit
American retail worker here! It depends on what kind of condition the item is in when it's returned. If the packaging and everything is still in good shape and everything is packed correctly, most of the the time it will just be placed back on the shelf to be sold again. But in the event that a returned item is damaged too badly or in a state that it is unable to be resold, it will be placed on a salvage pallet, and returned to the distribution center to either be sent back to the manufacturer to either be refurbished and resold at a significant discount, destroyed, or sold by lot to closeout stores.
FWEngineer@reddit
I've heard that most things are just trashed straight away. There might be parts missing, maybe they're returning it because it's defective. In some cases, the expense of examining the product and restocking it is more expensive than just throwing it.
Sea-Bill78@reddit
Depends on what is returned. Some items are immediately disposed, for example skin care, make up etc. Some items are resealable and you can buy those at a discount. I think there is also businesses that recycle and/or resale as well.
Proud_Huckleberry_42@reddit
Costco takes back all sorts of obviously very used stuff. Those customers have no shame.
eyetracker@reddit
The REI sub sometimes has the ones they resell with the funny return reasons attached.
jessek@reddit
I only return items if they arrived broken.
Pitiful_Lion7082@reddit
It often just ends up in the garbage
FleetAdmiralCrunch@reddit
We do some online sales and the returns go to a third party to sort through and determine if it’s unused and be resold, repairable to go to a refurbished part of the site, or disposed. It’s expensive to take returns.
herblady99@reddit
90 days without any questions and even plants and flowers can be returned, I have been wondering about that too.
Inevitable-Trust-511@reddit
we shoot them into the sun
aka_nya03@reddit
for anything that may be contaminated, trash (makeup, skincare, intimates). anything that's unopened/tags still attached, resold either put back in stock or at a discount. for your mouse example, big tech retailers have open box discounts.
itsmilkguysipromise@reddit
It can be resold for a discount as an open box/used item. Some stores will hang onto it for a while before doing this or send it to another location to prevent people from returning something and then immediately repurchasing it for a lower price. Sometimes things just get thrown away.
Stan_Deviant@reddit
Some stores will manage their own resale. For items that were used and/or damaged at REI, for example, they have a garage sale "scratch and dent" sale a few times a year. It is a great way to get camping gear at a discount.
For stores that sell higher priced equipment it is a way to give people more confidence that if you buy a $400 tent and hate it you aren't just out the money.
WokeUpIAmStillAlive@reddit
Mostly its frowned upon, but after its returned... if it's pristine they may resale, but the other option is that it sells in auctions.