5 stores with great return policies

Return to sender

What makes a great return policy?

Enough time to get that mistake back to the store? Recouping your money without having to dig through a pile of receipts? Receiving that return in whatever form is most convenient for you? And, if you’re buying online, how about free return shipping?

These days, with a lot of merchants, you have to pick and choose which points are most important to you. When it comes to returns, very few retailers offer it all.

Some stores might give a full return within a certain window of time — if you have a receipt. Others have a very short time window but might not require much paperwork. And some are lenient on time but might limit you to receiving a refund on a store gift card.

Don’t forget that rules can also change depending on what you bought or how you paid for it. And a handful of stores also assess restocking fees.

It’s enough to make even a veteran shopper dizzy.

During the holidays, though, many of the major retailers will offer more liberal return policies, says Teri Gault, co-author of “Shop Smart, Save More.”

Here, in no particular order, are 5 stores that are earning a reputation for making returns easy.

Nordstrom

At Nordstrom, the return policy is that there is no return policy, said Colin Johnson, spokesman for Nordstrom. “You won’t find one posted at the cash register or on your receipt. We’re just going to stand behind our merchandise. The bottom line is that we work with the customer.”

What does that mean? No time limit, no receipt required and no paperwork, and you get treated the same whether you have a gift receipt or purchase receipt.

And if you bought online from Nordstrom.com, the store provides free return shipping, he said. Or you can take the item back to a local store.

“The way it works is we ask our people in the stores to use good judgment,” Johnson said. “The ultimate objective is taking care of the customer. It really depends on the situation. You really can’t have a rule book that takes into account every scenario.”

The chain’s discount store, Nordstrom Rack, operates a little differently with respect to returns because items come from closeouts and special purchases, said Johnson. There, you’ll have 90 days to return items, and receipts and tags are preferred, he says.

At the end of the day, Johnson said, employees “try to remove the clutter — the policy-type stuff that can get in the way of taking care of the customer.”

Zappos.com

Zappos.com, an online store that initially focused on selling shoes, built a business around making returns easy.

Customers have been able to order several items, try them on and ship back the ones that don’t work. As a result, the retailer is as famous for its return policy as it is for shoes.

“The return policy for Zappos.com is if you’re not 100% satisfied with your purchase, you can return it for a full refund,” said Corey Schreiber, former content developer for Zappos Insights.

What does that mean? The highlights to Zappos.com’s policy are that you have 1 year to return merchandise. Because you’re shopping online (and orders are tracked), you never need a receipt. Shipping is free for orders and returns. And for returns, you can print shipping labels at the Zappos site, or the company will email or snail mail them to you, he said.

One cool feature is the company’s “advanced exchange.” If you need a different size or color, the company will ship it to you for free. All you have to do is send back the first item within the next 2 weeks, he said. All the shipping is free, and you don’t have to worry about carrying 2 items on your credit or debit account.

“We use it as a ‘wow’ tool,” said Schreiber.

L.L.Bean

Just what every consumer needs: no time limits and no receipts required.

If you buy online from L.L.Bean, you can return the merchandise to your local store, or you can send the item back using prepaid labels you can print from the site.

It’s all part of the Maine-based retailer’s “100% satisfaction guarantee,” says Carolyn Beem, an L.L.Bean spokeswoman. “We are one of the few companies out there that lets the customer define what ‘satisfaction’ is,” she says.

Return shipping is $6.50 (deducted from your refund) or free if you have an L.L.Bean credit card or are sending back the item because it’s defective, she says.

During the lifetime of a product, if you find you’re not happy, “we encourage you to return it for a refund, store credit or replacement,” Beem says.

“It’s a pretty simple policy,” she says.

Costco

Membership club Costco is another retailer trying to make returns easy.

Shoppers are members who pay fees to join, so “we will refund in full at any time (if) a member is dissatisfied,” says Franz Lazarus, an executive vice president with Costco. Members generally get the refund in the same form they paid, while nonmembers would likely get cash or store gift cards, he says.

With consumer electronics, which tend to have a shelf life, there is a 90-day window to return, he says. “That’s the only exception.”

And that’s been the only change to the return policy over the years, says Lazarus. “We felt at one point several years ago that we had to initiate that because technology was changing so rapidly.”

You also don’t have to have a receipt, he says. “(While) we like for there to be a receipt because it makes the process easier, we would not refuse a refund because there was no receipt.”

Buying online? “Anything that’s purchased online can be returned to one of our locations,” he says. And return shipping is free.

Target

If you paid via credit card, debit card, gift card or check, the store can track your purchase and refund the full amount without a receipt, says Jessica Deede Rogers, spokeswoman for the retailer.

The store’s return window is 90 days for unopened, undamaged items with a receipt. A couple of exceptions: consumer electronics, which have a 30-day return window, and Target-brand items, which have a 365-day return window.

Target even offers shoppers a generous “gift” during holiday time. For holiday electronic purchases bought Nov. 1-Dec. 25, that 30-day clock doesn’t start until Dec. 26. That way shoppers “don’t have to hold off or wait” to buy, Rogers says.

With the actual receipt (or searchable purchase record), you’ll get all of your money back. If you have a gift receipt, you’ll get a gift card or exchange, she says.

If you paid by check, consult a calendar. If it’s been less than 7 days, you could be offered cash or a gift card, says Rogers. But if the store has had at least a week to clear the check, then you’ll get a cash refund, she says.

Buying online? Most products can be returned to your local store, says Rogers. (To be sure check the “shipping & returns” tab before you buy, she advises.)

And if you want (or need) to ship it back, shipping costs are deducted from your return, says Rogers.