Amazon Offers Customers Free, Convenient and Easy Returns at More Locations This Holiday Season

SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Dec. 17, 2020– Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced that it’s here to help make buying – and returning – even more stress-free and convenient as possible this holiday season. New this year, customers have even more time to make a decision on keeping that gift or holiday purchase with an even longer returns window. Most items shipped between October 1 and December 31, 2020, can be returned until January 31, 2021. In addition, Amazon is helping make returns even easier at over 500 Whole Foods Market stores across the country by offering a box-free, label-free return option. This option is also available at other locations including Amazon Books, Amazon 4-star, Amazon Fresh grocery stores, Amazon Go stores, UPS Store locations, Kohl’s, and more. Returning Amazon.com orders are free and easy, and are available at tens of thousands of locations and on millions of items including electronics, household items, pet supplies, shoes, and apparel, and more, no matter the reason for the return. Amazon’s extended return window and tens of thousands of free, convenient and easy return locations are made possible by incredible employees coming together to deliver magic—and make life easier—for customers, especially during the holidays.

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Amazon returns at Amazon physical retail stores (Photo: Business Wire)

“During a holiday season that might be more unpredictable than year’s past, our employees want to help customers have one less thing to think about by giving customers more time to return, and by providing a variety of free, convenient, and easy return options this year,” said Libby Johnson McKee, Director, Amazon WW Returns, ReCommerce and Sustainability. “Our hope is that by offering so many return options—from tens of thousands of drop-off locations to shipping an item back—as well as more time to think about making a return, customers can relax and shop with confidence this holiday season.”

Returns Made Easy

Once a customer is ready to start a return, the process is simple and convenient. Customers select the item(s) to be returned and the reason for returning from the “Returns & Orders” page on Amazon.com or under “Your Orders” via the Amazon app. Customers can then choose from a list of convenient return options, including at least one FREE option, and then drop off their item at a nearby location—and in most cases without a box or a label. Dropping off a return is quick and contact free. Returning gifts is also easy: when starting a return, customers enter the gift order number and select the item to return. The type of refund or credit a customer will receive depends on how the gift was purchased and how it’s returned.

More Ways to Return

Amazon offers free returns at tens of thousands of drop-off locations for customers, including Amazon physical retail stores like Amazon Books, Amazon 4-star, Amazon Fresh grocery stores, and Amazon Go stores, most alternative delivery locations via Amazon Hub Locker and Amazon Hub Locker+, and other locations like Whole Foods Market, Kohl’s, and UPS.

• Amazon physical retail locations: Customers can easily return items at more than 75 Amazon physical retail stores across the country including Amazon Books, Amazon 4-star, Amazon Fresh grocery stores, and Amazon Go stores. Customers visit one of Amazon’s convenient locations staffed with helpful associates, show the QR code received after starting a return online, and hand over the item in the original manufacturer’s packaging—but without a box or label.
• Amazon Hub Locker and Amazon Hub Locker+ locations: To return to a Locker, customers start a return on Amazon.com or the Amazon app, and then bring their items in a box or shipping envelope and use the barcode, or six-digit code sent after starting a return to place the item in the slot. For staffed Locker+ locations, customers have the option of either pre-packaging their item, using the free packing materials available onsite, or returning without a box or label. Amazon Hub Locker and Amazon Hub Locker+ locations are in more than 900 cities and towns across the country.
• Whole Foods Market: New this year, Amazon has made returning even easier at more than 500 Whole Foods Market locations nationwide. No need for a box or label, customers simply bring the item and QR code generated after creating a return to the Customer Service desk. A Whole Foods Market team member will scan the code and take the item.
• Kohl’s: Customers can return eligible items at more than 1,100 Kohl’s locations across 48 U.S. states by starting a return on Amazon.com or the Amazon app, and then select Kohl’s as their drop-off location. When customers arrive, they visit the Amazon Returns desk to make their return and show the QR code to a store associate. No box or label is needed.
• UPS: To make a return, customers can choose to drop-off items using a pre-paid mailing label at close to 20,000 UPS Access Point locations nationwide. Amazon customers can also, in many cases, return without a box or a label at almost 5,000 The UPS Store locations using a QR code generated when starting a return. Customers may also arrange a no cost pick-up from their home or office via a UPS driver.

Sustainable Ways to Return—and Rebuy

Amazon leverages its scale for good to make it easier for customers to be more sustainable, which is why it offers a label-free and box-free return option for eligible items at locations including Amazon Books, Amazon 4-star, Amazon Fresh grocery stores, Amazon Go stores, Amazon Hub Locker+ locations, Whole Foods Market stores, UPS Store locations, and Kohl’s, helping to reduce the amount of packaging used in returns and in many cases, reducing the number of pickups from drivers. Amazon in also committed to finding a second use for open-box and used items, and offers a variety of ways to purchase them via Amazon Warehouse, refurbished products through Amazon Renewed, and Certified Refurbished and Used Amazon devices via Pre-Owned Amazon Devices—these stores help customers save money while also helping the planet. Customers can also find information about what to do with packaging and how to trade in, recycle, or return Amazon products by visiting Amazon Second Chance.

Easy Return and Refund Policies

This year, customers have even more time to decide if they want to return an item as this year’s return window is even longer: new and unused items shipped between October 1 and December 31, 2020, can be returned until January 31, 2021—for any reason. For refunds, customers making a label-free, box-free return will in most cases receive a refund within a few hours after drop-off. Customers shipping back an item will see their refund processed and issued three to five business days after the item is received back to Amazon. To see Amazon’s full list of return and refund policies, click here.

To find out more about Amazon Returns, click here, and for Amazon holiday shipping, delivery, pickup and returns b-roll and images, click here.

About Amazon

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.