- Kohl’s said Tuesday that it will start accepting returns for select items purchased on Amazon
- The store will pack and ship eligible Amazon return items for free at the 82 stores offering the service
- The clothing company hopes the service will allow Kohl’s customers to skip their local post office in exchange for time spent in the store
Kohl’s will start accepting Amazon returns at some of its stores in Los Angeles and Chicago starting in October.
The department store will pack and ship eligible Amazon return items for free at the 82 stores offering the service with designated parking spots near the Kohl’s store entrances for those partaking in the service.
‘We are thrilled to launch this unprecedented and innovative concept, allowing customers to bring in their unpackaged Amazon returns to Kohl’s and we will pack them, ship them, and return them to Amazon for free,’ Richard Schepp, Chief Administrative Officer said in a statement.
Kohl’s announced on Tuesday that the department store will start accepting Amazon returns at the 82 locations in Los Angeles and Chicago
Kohl’s hopes that it will get people away from their local post office and into their store to do some shopping.
Shivi Shankaran, Director of Worldwide Customer Returns at Amazon, said teaming with Kohl’s allows the department store to ‘pair our world-class return experience with a great shopping experience.’
Department stores have struggled as more people shop online or at discount stores despite the fact that most retail transactions still take place in physical stores.
Shoppers can have an Amazon employee come to their home and install a device or suggest smart home products to buy. The department store is also opening some in-store Amazon shops
Analysts have said that being partners with Amazon will give Kohl’s a way to differentiate itself from other department stores and lure in shoppers looking to buy more than clothes.
The department store is opening some in-store Amazon shops and had announced plans to open 1,000-square-foot Amazon areas in 10 of its stores in Chicago and Los Angeles that will sell Amazon Echos and Fire tablets.
Shoppers can also have an Amazon employee come to their home and install a device or suggest smart home products to buy.
Best Buy recently launched a similar program, which sends its employees to customer’s homes to recommend electronics.
In August, Amazon announced that it would be buying Whole Foods in a deal valued at about $13.7 billion, a move that set the stage for more radical store experimentation.
Kohl’s hopes that the new service will allow people to get out of their post office and into their store to shop