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A few articles last week explored the dirty secret around retail returns: Most don’t make it back to the selling floor.
Instead, many find their way after a lengthy process to pawnshops, dollar stores, flea markets and, sometimes, landfills.
Some aren’t returned to the selling floor because they’re unsellable in their returned condition. Fixing or repackaging an item — even for a broken seal — often takes too long for the product to find its way back to the selling floor.
Today’s consumer purchases happen more rapidly than ever, making returns an unavoidable aspect of the shopping experience. Every year, billions of dollars worth of returned goods make their way back to retailers, often resulting in excess inventory. Many of these…