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.
We’re talking about clothes here. I have never been able to find any clothing items that were consistently and accurately sized. Often even across the same brands, sizing is consistently inconsistent. If I can’t return for the proper size once I get an example of a product’s fit and sizing without paying for it, then the convenience of online shopping has evaporated and I might as well just go into a store and try things on. As if they don’t already charge enough of a markup to cover restocking.