Walmart & Amazon Make Major Change to Return Policy in Maine, New Hampshire, & Massachusetts

These days, most of us make at least the occasional online purchase.

Since 2020, we have seen the percentage of people shopping online skyrocket.  According to Yaguara, about 285 million Americans will purchase online in 2025.

What started out as a necessity during the pandemic has just become a way to simplify our lives.  Now, instead of trying to carve time out of our day, between work and shuttling the kids around, we just hop on our phones for a few seconds to order what we need.  A few days later, the item shows up at our homes.

Even though I hate to admit it, I was kind of a late adopter to online shopping.  These days I do buy things online, but not very often.  Generally, I only do it when it is something cheap or something where I am not concerned about the actual quality.

For example, I would buy LED light strips online because, even if they are not as good as I hoped, it's not going to cause a problem.

One of the main reasons I have not fully embraced online shopping is the concern about item returns.  In the past, I have dealt with an online retailer that twice sent me the wrong item.  Fortunately, there was a physical location nearby.  If there were not a location within driving distance, I would have had to go through the trouble of shipping it out.  Yes, they were paying for the shipping, but it still would have been a hassle.

Now, it looks like returns at two major online retailers are going to be getting easier.

Amazon and Walmart Are Making a Big Change to Their Return Policy

According to an article by MSN, both Walmart and Amazon are now allowing 'refunds without returns'.

What is that?  Well, it is exactly what it sounds like.  If you purchased something from Amazon or from the Walmart website, and you need to return it, you will not be required to send the item back.

Please note that this policy only applies to specific low-priced items. We have been informed that if you attempt to return one of these items, you will receive an email confirming that your refund is being processed, and you may keep the item.

And, as far as we know, it does not apply to items purchased at a physical Walmart store.

Why Did Amazon & Walmart Change Their Policy?

The primary reason for the change is financial.  It costs money for them to have the item shipped back to the warehouse.  Then, someone has to take the time to check to see if the item is worth restocking.  If it is not, it will just get thrown away.

A secondary benefit to this policy change is that it builds brand loyalty.  Customers will remember that they did not need to go through the hassle of returning a phone case that did not fit their type of phone.