I don't understand your point...Nothing stops you from returning via mail, for free, just like Amazon...?
Walmart has the flexibility of both.
If I have an expensive item I'd rather have the piece of mind that it won't get lost in the mail or in Amazon's warehouse, or like the case of my Apple watch...they've received it but haven't refunded it a week later.
Walmart customer service is open in the early mornings and evenings - more flexible hours than a UPS store or the likes and that's when I'd go where there's less people.
I disagree. Their return policy average at best. Returns are only free if the item is damaged, defective, or incorrect. At Costco or Best Buy, I can return an item because I didn't like it. Even when returning items for "incorrect description", for example, it's super obnoxious when you have to return things over half the time because everything is shit.
I can go to Walmart and get a higher-quality product. I can buy tons of things at Walmart that I can't from Amazon due to their self-sabotoged supply chain. Food, kitchen products, personal care products, batteries, electronics, clothing, tools, etc etc. (How pitiful a time we live in when I am writing praises about Walmart. Sigh.)
I’m not a big fan of Walmart but it’s either 10 minutes to Walmart or almost an hour to other retailers. That being said Walmart let’s you return almost anything. They don’t want an upset customer. I can value that especially with all the times I shred a receipt but then realize I didn’t need something or something happened to it.
I keep hearing from people that they like Amazon due to the ease of refunds, but it's not been my experience. The last time I wanted to return an item as it was clearly used, but the automated system rejected my claim because I personally had used it (I really needed it the day it arrived, so I didn't have a choice - and I didn't want merely a refund, but a replacement, so this isn't like I got full use and didn't want to pay).
Never had issues returning anything to Target. They just ask the customary questions ("Was there anything wrong with it?").
With Walmart the only issue I had is long lines. And if it was bought online it's pointless to return in person - the folks in the local stores aren't aware of the return policy for online purchases. But returning via mail - no problem. And getting a human on the phone was easy.
Walmart is known for their generous return policy as well. 15+ years ago my roommate worked at Walmart customer service desk. She told me she was instructed to basically never not process a return. I don't know if it's still that way, I haven't returned anything to Walmart in probably a decade. I'm sure walmart.com would be similar.
I rarely have to return things, but when I do have to return something purchased on Amazon it's basically: couple of clicks, get a QR in email, walk into the local UPS store with the item and hand it over, quick scan of the QR and done. Yeah it would be nice if they just sent someone to the house to get the item, but it doesn't surprise me that the economics of that don't work out.
Their return window is 90 days versus Amazon’s 30 and they actually let you schedule the return pick-up date. Also, their Prime-competitor Walmart+ service[0] ($98/year) has no order minimums.
If Amazon ended free returns they'd likely suffer potentially brand-ending harm. Walmart and Target are already nipping at their heels and can offer in-person returns.
Amazon is also mildly disliked by all their customers anyway.
This is what Walmart has been doing for quite a long time. They will essentially take any return and charge the vendor for it.
My mom used to work as a bookkeeper for a garment company and the owners were thrilled when they landed Walmart. She said dealing with Walmart was a full-time job and they were ruthless in their tactics. They started to receive a large number of returns, and Walmart would deduct the cost (item cost, shipping, processing, etc) from their payments owed. I believe she also said they were Net-90. So you basically ship them 3 months worth of goods and you're left holding your dick for a while.
Most of the items they received back weren't in saleable condition, so it was a loss. The company owners decided to let Walmart deal with those items instead of having them shipped back. It turns out Walmart was donating those items and getting a tax write-off. When my mom figured this out, she suggested that her company do this instead of letting Walmart do it. It helped offset some of the costs of doing business with them.
The point is, when you deal with a distributor like Amazon or Walmart, it can bankrupt you if you aren't ready to deal with the volume and draconian policies. So these small businesses are right to be pissed and scared.
I find it weird that someone would argue for a worse retail experience. People make mistakes, it's great that people can return stuff that it turns out they don't need or won't work.
As to why retailers do it, I think it's a combination of:
a. Regulations - many jurisdictions have a requirement that retailers accept returns for some period. This is great because it makes fraud on the retailer's part extremely unprofitable - customers can just return fraudulently marketed products.
b. Competition - one thing that both Walmart and Amazon did was lower the bar for returns. In the 90s Walmart would often accept returns even without a receipt, which was a competitive advantage against other retailers that had more restrictive policies. Amazon did something similar for online retail by paying for shipping of returned items.
c. Encouraging impulse buys - Having a high bar for researching purchases means that impulse buys are much less likely. If you're in a store and you see a microwave you really like, knowing that you can return it makes it more likely you will buy it right then and there. If you have to go home and confirm a bunch of dimensions, it's more likely you won't return for the microwave as emotions will have cooled.
Edit: Addressing fashion specifically. There are many factors that can make something that works in a fitting room turn out to later be ill suited.
First, it's not uncommon to be buying a top or pants to go with other clothing in one's wardrobe. Unless you bring all that stuff with you when you go shopping, it's only possible to guess whether things will work out while in a fitting room. There's also a level of wishful thinking that can happen when trying on clothes - where you make it fit by sucking in your gut or something that can mask the fact that clothing won't work. Long term comfort is also impossible to ascertain in a fitting room. This is especially applicable to shoes - where they might be comfy for the 5 minutes in the store, but start to hurt after 30 minutes to an hour.
Finally, it's impossible to tell how much something will shrink in the wash when you buy it. Some stuff that fits perfectly "off the rack" will no longer fit properly after it has been through the washer/dryer.
Yet very often they charge restocking fees which is unheard of here. And also these policies are up to their discretion. As you can see in e.g. Walmart’s policy they reserve the right to decline the refund. Better to have a guarantee by having it in the law. Again as stated before, Amazon is known to shut down accounts for returning too often.
You can return in store immediately, after waiting 20+ minutes in line. I stopped ordering from Walmart because in store pickups and returns are a colossal waste of time.
All the retailers I've worked with (both brick & mortar and internet-only) see returns as a small cost of doing business. An easy returns process makes customers happy and keeps down credit card chargebacks. If you are selling on the internet, handling a small percentage of returns is considerably cheaper than having a retail presence.
You can look at Zappos (now owned by Amazon) for having an amazing liberal return policy. you have 365 days to return things and they pay for the return shipping. It's all to give you a safe feeling and buy multiple items.
In most cases large retailers force their vendors to cover the costs of returned merchandise that they can't resell (due to opened packaging etc).
One of the main reasons I'll buy from Amazon is that the transaction carries zero risk for me. If there is any problem whatsoever I know it's going to be resolved to my benefit.
That's true. I rarely have to return things to Amazon, so it doesn't come up much.
However, I buy so much from the (I'm a Prime member) the I almost always have a small box around. I just put the item in it, print out the pre-paid shipping label, and drop the box in a UPS box or at a UPS store. It's not that bad.
Walmart's actual return policy has always been better though. I've taken stuff there that I don't even know was purchased there and got a credit. This was some time ago so not sure if it changed, but they used to give you a few receiptless returns per year.
Walmart has the flexibility of both.
If I have an expensive item I'd rather have the piece of mind that it won't get lost in the mail or in Amazon's warehouse, or like the case of my Apple watch...they've received it but haven't refunded it a week later.
Walmart customer service is open in the early mornings and evenings - more flexible hours than a UPS store or the likes and that's when I'd go where there's less people.
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