If you live near a Kohl’s store, then returning an Amazon package is about to get a little easier.
Starting in July, all 1,150 Kohl’s locations across 48 states will begin accepting returns for free, expanding a program that launched in 2017 with 82 stores in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Milwaukee.
The partnership means that any item bought on Amazon can be returned free of charge regardless of the reason for return, and regardless of whether the items are packaged or unpackaged for shipping. In other words, part of the service includes Kohl’s staff packaging up the goods before shipping them to Amazon returns centers.
It’s easy to return an item to Kohl’s. To get started, head to Amazon’s online return center. Next, select the Kohl’s drop-off option, at which point Amazon will email you a QR code. Take the item you’re returning to the Kohl’s store and show the QR code when you hand over your package. Kohl’s will then pack, label, and ship the item for free.
For extra convenience, anyone returning an Amazon package can park their car in one of the designated parking spots close to the store entrance.
Michelle Gass, Kohl’s chief executive officer, said his company was “thrilled” to expand the returns scheme to all of its stores, adding, “This new service is another example of how Kohl’s is delivering innovation to drive traffic to our stores and bring more relevance to our customers.”
Indeed, at a time when brick-and-mortar stores are under growing pressure from online shopping sites, a tie-up with the company that pretty much launched the platform is a notable move by Kohl’s. If the returns scheme does indeed attract more shoppers to its stores, the belief is that after dropping off a product, those people will then spend some time browsing items in the store, possibly leading to a purchase — hopefully right there in the store, not online.
Kohl’s involvement with Amazon doesn’t stop at the returns scheme, either, as the company announced last month that it would be expanding its current displays of Amazon products such as its Fire tablets including its Kids Edition, Kindle ebook readers, and Echo speakers, to more than 200 stores so that customers can try them out before deciding whether to make a purchase.
