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As the holiday season comes to a close, many consumers find themselves caught up in the flurry of returns post-gift unwrapping.
In Anchorage, Alaska, Latonya Rascoe prepares for the surge of return shipments at her local FedEx office. Despite the rush, she highlights their commitment to customer service, noting, “We even work Christmas Day here at the front counter, taking your returns.”
With the festivities wrapping up, the National Retail Federation (NRF) projects that nearly $900 billion worth of goods will be returned starting from this Friday. Analysts predict that approximately 17% of total holiday sales will be returned during this peak period, which stretches through January 2.
The Holiday Returns Surge
According to NRF findings, e-commerce purchases were particularly prone to returns last year, extending the holiday shipping timeline significantly. Rascoe elaborates on the types of items that are often sent back: “They’re returns on everything they don’t like, everything they don’t want, or items that were the wrong size.”
At the FedEx facility in Anchorage, logistics are intense, with the sorting of nearly 80,000 packages each day. Tracy Watkins, a senior ramp manager at FedEx, notes that their holiday operational phase runs from Thanksgiving up until three weeks after Christmas. She oversees the coordination of nearly three dozen cargo flights that handle this substantial volume of parcels.
Each FedEx cargo plane can transport in excess of 20,000 packages, funneling goods from Alaska, a crucial global shipping point, to various hubs in Oakland, Indianapolis, and Memphis, or reaching destinations across Asia and the Pacific.
Understanding Return Policies
Leading up to Christmas, FedEx managed around 16 million deliveries on a daily basis, reflecting the high volume of holiday shopping. However, before consumers return unwanted gifts, experts urge them to familiarize themselves with the specific return policies of individual retailers, as they can differ widely.
Kimberly Palmer from Nerdwallet provides practical advice, cautioning that some retailers might impose charges for returning items. She emphasizes, “Keep those in their original packaging. Make sure you have the receipts and don’t delay, as many people miss return deadlines.” Staying organized can streamline the return process and help ensure a smooth experience for consumers navigating post-holiday returns.
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www.cbsnews.com