Past the parcel: how the end of free returns will change the way we shop

theguardian.com:

The days of the bedroom fitting room are numbered. Online retail giant Boohoo has become the latest in a string of retailers, including Next, Uniqlo, and Zara, to start charging shoppers for returns. Starting earlier this month, its customers face a £1.99 fee for each return, deducted from their refund. It’s all in the name of tackling the increased costs of shipping, the fast-fashion behemoth says.

Bargain shoppers aren’t very pleased about the news. One person on Twitter declared “the fun is actually over”, summing up the mood. Others lamented the fact that, as with many fast-fashion outlets, the sizing is so erratic they can’t confidently buy just one size per order. Brands such as Zara have brick-and-mortar stores that customers can pop into to try before they buy, but when an online outlet has some problems with inconsistent sizing, customers may feel as if they’re being punished for it.

By offering free returns in the first place, companies such as Boohoo helped shift consumers away from stores altogether, and created entirely new behaviour around shopping. YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok are bursting with try-on hauls where viewers are asked to comment on whether the buyer should keep or return the piles upon piles of items they’ve bought online. It’s a genre all of its own, fuelled by free returns. A 2018 study found that 9% of UK consumers order clothes to post on social media, only to return them straight after. Almost one in five 35– to 44-year-olds admit to doing it, and men, apparently, do it more than women.

It’s incredibly cheeky behaviour, but there’s also another glaring issue with the practice: returns have a terrible impact on the environment. When clothes are returned, they’re likely to be thrown away