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Amazon Customers Can Now Return Things For Free At Kohl's Or Whole Foods (mashable.com)
In addition to any of the hundreds of Whole Foods supermarkets across the country, certain Kohl's stores will now accept returns of "eligible items" as part of a retail partnership between the two companies that began earlier this summer. Mashable reports: Starting next month, more than 80 Kohl's locations in the Chicago and Los Angeles area will begin packing and shipping returns back to the online shopping giant's warehouses free of charge. The stores will even have specially designated parking spots for Amazon returns customers. In exchange, Kohl's is hoping that some of the people this program draws into its stores will be tempted to buy something there along the way. One recent UPS survey found that around 70 percent of consumers tend to make new purchases in the course of returning items in stores. The new array of return options will also help Amazon undercut its arch-rival Walmart, which has staked its big push to catch up with Amazon on the idea that its thousands of stores can serve as waypoints for pick-ups, returns, and more convenient delivery.
Not in here mister, this is a Whole Foods.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
One recent UPS survey found that around 70 percent of consumers tend to make new purchases in the course of returning items in stores.
And many other surveys find that people go to brick and mortar stores to browse and see product in person and then go online to buy it from a cheaper source. The only time I buy something else from a brick and mortar after a return is if I am returning something THEY sold me and I am getting store credit.
Either Kohls is expecting that their super fantastic sale prices on loss-leaders will get Amazon customers to buy (which means a loss overall), or they have ignored the fact that the customers they are counting on to buy from them after returning an Amazon product are well aware of how to buy things from online stores and already have a purchasing account with at least one of them.
Did UPSs surveys take into account that Amazon customers have Amazon accounts already and know how to check out prices online, or were they biased because they included online-phobes who only buy from B&M?