A growing trend among retailers is a “keep it” policy which allows customers to keep items they try to return. This often happens when the cost of processing and restocking the item is more than its value or if the product is unlikely to be resold. This customer-friendly practice serves two purposes: first, it improves customer satisfaction and loyalty, and second, it cuts operational costs for the retailer. Below is a breakdown of the 9 major retailers who allow customers to keep some items they try to return along with some personal experiences on each.
PRO TIP: HOW TO USE THIS INFORMATION TO YOUR ADVANTAGE
If you try and “game the return system” to get free stuff, you’re gonna be disappointed and probably get banned from future returns with most of these retailers. Instead, use this list when doing price comparisons. If something you’re going to buy is the same price at XYZ Store as it is with one of the below retailers, then buy from one of these stores that often lets you keep returns. I feel this is the secret sauce and then when they let you “keep it” it’s just icing on the cake.
1. Amazon
Amazon has become almost synonymous with convenience, and that extends to its return policies.
If you’ve ever returned a low-cost or bulky item to Amazon, you might have encountered this policy.
For inexpensive items, particularly those that would be costly for Amazon to ship back and restock, they may simply refund your money and tell you to keep the product.
Why Does Amazon Do This?
Amazon handles millions of returns every year.
For lower-cost items like cheap electronics, household items, or apparel, it sometimes makes more financial sense for Amazon to let you keep the product rather than deal with the cost of shipping and restocking.
Examples of items customers have been asked to keep:
– Low-value electronics like earbuds, phone accessories, or chargers. Think of $20 or less as the sweet spot.
– Household items such as organizers, kitchen gadgets, or decor.
– Some apparel items, especially if they are low cost and lightweight.
This policy isn’t applied across the board but is more likely when the cost of the return exceeds the value of the product.
RAY-BAN SUNGLASSES FROM AMAZON
Must recently, I had Amazon tell me to keep a pair of $150 Ray-Ban sunglasses that they sent me that were clearly previously opened. While the glasses themselves were in great shape, the box had been tampered with and opened. They sent me a new pair and told me to keep the ones they had already sent me. I’m guessing they did this because they’d have to sell them to a Amazon salvage store for pennies on the dollar.
See Also: The BEST Store Return Policies in the Known Universe
2. Walmart
As one of the world’s largest retailers, Walmart also offers a fairly generous return policy and has been known to let customers keep inexpensive or bulky items after requesting a return.
They actually use AI to determine if it’s worth it for you to actually return the item which I found interesting.
Why Does Walmart Allow Customers to Keep Some Returned Items?
Walmart handles an enormous amount of returns, and like Amazon, they assess the cost-benefit of accepting an item back.
For inexpensive items that may be difficult to resell, it’s more cost-effective for Walmart to let the customer keep the product rather than pay for return shipping and then restock it.
Walmart items customers have been told to keep:
– Small kitchen appliances like blenders or toasters
– Apparel and accessories
– Low-cost electronics
– Toys and other inexpensive household items
– Car batteries (for safety reasons)
– Large bulky items that cost less than $20.
– Food items like meats, bakery products, and dairy. If these spoil before the best-by date they’ll give you your money back and tell you to keep it.
Also, keep in mind that Walmart’s decision may depend on whether the product was shipped from their warehouse or sold through a third-party marketplace seller.
A WORD OF WARNING FROM WALMART
The Walmart app is notorious for letting you keep items you try to return. But if you try and scam the system, be aware that they’re tracking your returns and if you reach a certain dollar amount you’re account will be flagged and you’ll be told you have to take all future returns back to a Walmart location. When I asked an assistant store manager what the dollar amount was they said they could not let that become public knowledge.
3. Target
Target is another retailer with an emphasis on customer satisfaction, and their return policy is well-regarded for being flexible.
In certain situations, Target will allow customers to keep items instead of going through the process of returning them.
How Target Decides to Let You Keep a Product
Target uses a case-by-case approach when deciding whether to ask a customer to return an item or to let them keep it.
Factors such as the item’s value, shipping costs, and the likelihood of reselling the item all play a role in this decision.
Similar to other retailers, this policy is more common for lower-cost or bulky items.
Common items that Target tells shoppers to keep:
– Low-cost home goods
– Apparel and footwear
– Baby items like toys or clothing
– Small electronics
– Opened food or perishables
– Opened beauty products
Target has streamlined its returns process through the Target app, making it easy for customers to initiate returns, and sometimes customers will be given the option to keep the item when the cost to process the return is too high.
See Also: The Stores Famous for Reducing Prices Near Expiration Dates
4. Chewy
Chewy, an online retailer for pet products, has made a name for itself with exceptional customer service.
Their customer-first approach includes being lenient with returns.
In many cases, Chewy has been known to issue a refund and allow customers to keep the item, particularly if it’s food or a product that might not be resold due to health and safety reasons.
Why Chewy Lets You Keep Some Products
Chewy specializes in pet products, which often have strict regulations about reselling, especially when it comes to food and consumables.
If a customer is unhappy with a product or it arrives damaged, Chewy will often refund the purchase without asking for the item back, particularly if returning the item isn’t feasible for resale or restocking.
Items Chewy customers are often allowed to keep:
– Pet food
– Pet toys
– Bedding and accessories
– Small pet care items
In cases where customers are allowed to keep the product, Chewy often encourages them to donate the item to a local shelter, further enhancing their reputation as a customer- and community-focused company.
WRONG DOG FOOD SENT
Earlier this year, our husky seemed to be loosing weight and not eating her dry kibble so I ordered some wet food from Chewy to mix in with her dry food. They sent me the wrong food for whatever reason. I contacted them via live chat and they apologized profusely and sent me the correct food. They then told me to keep the food and donate it to a shelter or give it to a friend with a dog.
5. Wayfair
Wayfair, the online home goods and furniture retailer, deals with large, heavy, and sometimes low-cost items, making returns more complicated.
Because of the nature of their products, Wayfair is another retailer known for occasionally allowing customers to keep items they wish to return.
Why Wayfair Lets You Keep Some Returns
Furniture and home decor can be heavy, expensive to ship, and difficult to restock.
Wayfair often works with third-party sellers, and if an item is damaged or not as expected, it may not be worth the logistical cost of processing the return.
Also, for lower-cost items, especially those that are hard to ship or resell, Wayfair may let customers keep them.
Examples of items people have been asked to keep:
– Home decor like rugs, curtains, or small furniture
– Kitchen items like dining sets or cookware
– Lighting fixtures
– Bedding and linens
Wayfair’s flexible return policy is intended to keep customers happy, especially when shopping online for large items.
See Also: All The HIGH Quality Store Brands Made By Name Brands
6. Zappos
Zappos is known for its exceptional customer service and quite liberal return policy.
They focus on shoes and apparel, and in some cases, they have been known to let customers keep products when they aren’t satisfied.
Why Zappos Chooses to Let You Keep Certain Products
Zappos is part of the Amazon family, and like its parent company, they emphasize customer satisfaction.
Shipping shoes and apparel back and forth can become costly, and in cases where the item is inexpensive or can’t easily be resold, Zappos may decide it’s more efficient to let customers keep the product.
Items Zappos has let customers keep:
– Low-cost shoes and sandals
– Small accessories like belts or hats
– Apparel items like shirts or pants
The value of the item and whether it is likely to be resold are important factors in Zappos’ decision to allow customers to keep products after attempting to return them.
ZAPPOS LET ME KEEP HIKING SHOES
About a year ago, I bought a pair of hiking shoes from Zappos and when they showed up they were visibly used and had scuff marks on the soles. After a quick live chat session with Zappos they told me to keep the shoes as they were being discontinued and gave me an instant refund.
7. Costco
Costco is known for its generous return policy, which allows customers to return almost anything at any time.
While they don’t often let customers keep items they attempt to return in-store, it happens somewhat often when shopping at Costco.com.
In particular, it happens with lower-cost perishables as well as bulk items, where it’s WAY cheaper for Costco to let the customer keep the product.
Why Costco Might Let You Keep a Product
Costco operates on a membership-based model, and part of their customer service ethos is to ensure members feel valued.
If an item is damaged or faulty and the cost of returning it is high, Costco may offer a refund and allow the customer to keep the product.
Common items customers have been asked to keep:
– Bulk household goods
– Small electronics
– Low-cost apparel
– Kitchen items and home goods
Costco’s decision to allow customers to keep an item typically hinges on the cost of shipping and the condition of the product.
THIS WORKS ONLY WITH COSTCO.COM
I was surprised that Costco made this article UNTIL I started talking to several Costco members. Turns out this happens fairly often when shopping at Costco.com. Online items that they were told to keep include cheese, deli items, and even gift baskets.
See Also: How To Find a Costco Return Store and Save BIG
8. Kohl’s
Kohl’s is another retailer that offers easy returns, including a convenient partnership with Amazon that allows customers to return Amazon products at Kohl’s stores.
While Kohl’s return policy is fairly standard, there have been instances where customers are allowed to keep products they wish to return.
When Kohl’s Might Let You Keep a Product
Kohl’s tends to allow customers to keep items that are inexpensive or difficult to restock.
Like other retailers, they weigh the costs of shipping and restocking versus the value of the product.
For low-cost items, it’s sometimes more practical to let customers keep the product.
Examples of items Kohl’s has let customers keep:
– Inexpensive apparel and footwear
– Small home goods like candles or picture frames
– Low-cost electronics
– Kitchenware
– Damaged items that it’s not worth paying the return shipping charges on.
9. Home Depot
Home Depot, known for selling home improvement products, also faces challenges with returns, especially for large, bulky, or custom items.
In some cases, Home Depot has allowed customers to keep items they attempted to return.
Why Home Depot Might Let You Keep a Product
If an item is damaged or if the cost of shipping and handling is too high, Home Depot may issue a refund and allow the customer to keep the item.
This is especially common with bulky items like furniture, storage containers, or small appliances.
Items customers have been asked to keep:
– Furniture
– Lighting fixtures
– Small appliances
– Garden tools
– Large storage containers like Rubbermaid and Lifetime products.
Home Depot’s decision to allow customers to keep items they try to return is usually based on logistics and costs.
While not all retailers have a blanket policy allowing customers to keep items they try to return, many companies have recognized the value of doing so in certain cases.
It’s a cost-saving measure for businesses, but also a way to build customer loyalty by offering hassle-free resolutions.
BONUS: Shein is Starting To Do This Too
In recent months, I’ve been hearing from Shein shoppers telling me that they let them keep stuff they tried to return as well.
While Shein is a legit online clothing company, there’s no arguing the fact that their clothing is pretty cheap and not made to hold up.
With that said, it makes sense that they don’t want to pay the return shipping costs all the way to China.
So they’ll let you keep it instead. You can keep it, donate it, or put it on your dog.
Ask the Reader: What other stores have let you keep stuff and still refunded your money? Let me know so I can research them and potentially add them to this article.
By Kyle James
I started Rather-Be-Shopping.com in 2000 and have become a consumer expert and advocate writing about out-of-the-box ways to save at stores like Amazon, Walmart, Target and Costco to name a few. I’ve been featured on FOX News, Good Morning America, and the NY Times talking about my savings tips. (Learn more)
