Shopping Local reduces returns and garbage created
Carol Schroeder recently shared how local shops help our communities and their environment. I liked the excerpt below from her post:
”Returns are one example of something local shopkeepers do better than Amazon and other giant web retailers. The e-commerce return rate is estimated to be two to three times that of brick & mortar stores – averaging a shocking 20%-30%. According to The Guardian, a returns platform “recently calculated that only 50% of clothes that are returned are ever resold. Many are sent directly to landfill.” It hurts just to imagine that kind of waste.
Customers who get to try on clothes before making a purchase are likely to find the fit and look that they want. Similarly, those selecting home accessories, gifts or toys in person benefit from having the opportunity to compare them with other options before deciding what to buy. And when independent retailers do get a return, we are usually able to put it back in stock – or to sell it at a reduced price.“