Walmart Extends 2-Day Shipping to Marketplace; Adds In-Store Return Program
Walmart took aim at Amazon and other competitors Tuesday with consumer-friendly two-day shipping and returns policy changes ahead of the holiday shopping season. The retailer is working with its marketplace sellers to make “millions” of items available for two-day shipping,…
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it said, noting a membership fee isn’t required, making a dig at Amazon’s Prime membership that costs $12.99 per month or $119 per year. Customers returning an item from marketplace sellers can do so in a Walmart store or using a label they can print from home, it said. The customer packages the product for return, brings the item to a service desk at any of 4,700 Walmart stores and the retailer facilitates the return, with the customer receiving a refund from the seller, it said. In-store returns begin mid-November, it said. Last year, Kohl’s announced (see 1709190072) it would accept free returns for Amazon customers in 82 stores in Chicago and Los Angeles. Under the alliance, staffers at Amazon Returns at Kohl’s pack and ship eligible Amazon return items “regardless of return reason and regardless of whether the items are packaged for shipping.” Kohl’s CEO Michelle Gass said on the company’s Q2 earnings call in August the retailer added another 21 stores with Amazon Returns in the Milwaukee area during the quarter, calling it a “modest expansion.” Gass said Kohl’s is assessing the Amazon partnership, tracking the program closely while being “excited about the customer response.”