20 Retailers That Have Amended Their Return Policies Due to COVID-19

Before you initiate a return, make sure your retailer of choice is currently accepting product returns and exchanges.

The task of returning unwanted products has become a lot more challenging during this pandemic.

If you've been holding on to an unwanted item purchased in-store or online just before retailers temporarily closed brick-and-mortar locations or suspended e-commerce transactions, you're in luck. Most have extended their standard return window to accommodate customers who've been sheltering in place for weeks. But the trends aren't all favorable for consumers: Big-box retailers such as Costco and Walmart have temporarily discontinued returns for select household items -- including paper products and cleaning supplies -- due to health and safety concerns. And due to the increased volume of returns and e-commerce activity in general, it may take retailers longer than usual to process refunds, says consumer-savings expert Andrea Woroch.

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Andrea Browne Taylor
Contributing Editor

Browne Taylor joined Kiplinger in 2011 and was a channel editor for Kiplinger.com covering living and family finance topics. She previously worked at the Washington Post as a Web producer in the Style section and prior to that covered the Jobs, Cars and Real Estate sections. She earned a BA in journalism from Howard University in Washington, D.C. She is Director of Member Services, at the National Association of Home Builders.