Whether it’s a dress that’s the wrong size, or a case of mac and cheese purchased in panic – can you return it?
NBC 5 Responds asked retailers and grocers that question as coronavirus complications continue to wreak havoc on returns and refunds. Some of the answers might not sit well with consumers.
Let’s start with some of the stores relaxing their return rules:
Macy’s customers can still shop online and may be happy to hear that the retailer is extending its return window, “giving customers an extra 60 days from the original return date” to bring purchases back.
Online shopping is also in full effect at Nordstrom. As for returns: the company “does not have a set time frame” saying it handles returns “on a case-by-case basis.” Currently, customers can only return items by mail.
Trying to do it during curbside pick-up is a no-no.
Marshall’s and TJ Maxx have shut down online shopping, but both retailers – owned by the same company – say that once they re-open “shoppers have 30 days to make in-store returns, and 40 days to make online returns.”
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Target is taking a different approach, shutting down “all returns and exchanges on March 26th through April 26th.” Shoppers now have until June 15 to return those items. Target.com purchases can be returned by mail.
Attention Amazon shoppers: Most items ordered from Amazon or its seller partners between March 1 and April 30 can now be returned until the end of May.
From online to in-line at grocery stores, we asked some of the larger grocers what they're doing for customers who want to return or get a refund.
And the news isn’t necessarily good, especially for anyone who over-stocked.
Returns at Jewel are a no-go. The grocer said: “We are not accepting returns at this time, and we have also temporarily suspended our rain check service.”
Whole Foods says to ensure the health and safety of its team members and customers, it is “suspending our current return policy and all sales are final unless there was a quality problem with the product at the time of purchase.”
A similar policy at Kroger-owned Mariano’s: Due to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic and its inability to monitor products that have left its stores, it is “declining all returns (including refunds, store credits and product exchanges) for the safety of our customers and associates.”
Trader Joe’s is taking a different tack. A store manager told us it is still accepting returns and giving refunds. The only difference: The store is now throwing away everything that is returned, for safety reasons.
Even Costco – known for its liberal return policy -- now has restrictions on items including toilet paper, bottled water, sanitizing wipes, paper towels, rice and disinfecting spray.
To make getting answers to refund and return questions easier, we have put together a master list of retailers and grocers mentioned in this article:
Retailers
Grocery Stores
