Product returns may be a whole lot easier this year, as more and more stores continue to adopt "returnless" (or "keep it") policies. Shoppers who are not satisfied with products can keep their returns while also getting a refund for the purchase. The returnless method sounds too good to be true—you're essentially getting paid for not taking something back—but experts say policies like these are just as beneficial for retailers as they are for consumers.
"Retailers have a threshold for returns. Usually returns are very, very costly, and because retailers don't want to lose money on those returns they definitely allow customers to keep certain items," goTRG president and CEO Sender Shamiss explained.
"Of course, there's a lot of criteria around that," Shamiss added. "For the most part, retailers allow customers to keep returns that are not profitable to take back," which typically cost under "$20 or so," he noted.
Shamiss' goTRG surveyed over 500 U.S.-based retailers and found that 59 percent are implementing "keep it" policies this holiday season—that's a 26 percent increase from 2022.
