Forum From the Archives: What Happens to our Online Shopping Returns?

KQED's Forum

KQED

News, Politics, News Commentary

4.2 • 726 Ratings

🗓️ 25 November 2023

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Americans are doing a lot more of their shopping online, and thanks to generous return policies we’re also sending back more of the stuff that doesn’t fit, doesn’t work or just doesn’t look like its JPG. Many of us even regularly buy clothes in multiple sizes and colors and simply send back anything that we don’t like the look of. But very little of what we return, from bathing suits to defective barbeque grills, is repaired or resold as new. Returned inventory created 9.5 billion pounds of landfill waste last year, according to one estimate. And the shipping of returned inventory in the US, to retailers, resellers and repairers, emitted over 24 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2022. We’ll talk about the logistics of the reverse supply chain and the environmental consequences of all the stuff we buy and don’t want. Guests: Amanda Mull, staff writer, The Atlantic. She writes the column “Material World” on American consumerism Tobin Moore, co-founder and principal, Optoro, a returns technology company Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Support for KGBD Podcasts comes from Landmark College, offering a fully online graduate-level
0:06.1	certificate in learning differences in neurodiversity program. Visit landmark.edu slash certificate to learn more.
0:13.9	Support for Forum comes from Broadway SF, presenting Parade, the musical revival based on a true story.
0:21.4	From three-time Tony-winning composer Jason Robert Brown comes the story of Leo and Lucille Frank,
0:27.7	a newlywed Jewish couple struggling to make a life in Georgia.
0:31.7	When Leo is accused of an unspeakable crime, it propels them into an unimaginable test of faith, humanity, justice, and
0:40.2	devotion. The riveting and gloriously hopeful parade plays the Orpheum Theater for three weeks only,
0:47.2	May 20th through June 8th. Tickets on sale now at Broadwaysf.com.
0:54.7	From KQED in San Francisco, I'm Mina Kim. Coming up on forum, Americans are doing a lot more online
1:18.1	shopping these days, boosted by a pandemic that made it less safe to shop indoors. And thanks to
1:23.3	generous return policies, we're also sending back more of the stuff we don't like.
1:32.7	Many of us are even buying with the intent to return, meaning we're getting multiple sizes or colors of things to try out, then send back what doesn't work for us.
1:37.0	But if you think your returns are being restocked and resold, the Atlantic's Amanda Mall says,
1:42.2	think again. More likely your returns are entering a nasty logistics chain that ends with the items in a landfill or incinerator.
1:49.5	A rebroadcast of our August conversation about the impact of those returned items, join us.
1:59.6	Welcome to Forum. I'm Mina Kim. The pandemic boom in online shopping has also led to a boom in returns.
2:06.6	Maybe you Goldilocksed your shoes, buying a pair in three sizes and sending back the too small and two big pairs.
2:13.6	Maybe that cocktail dress looked a lot better in the photo, or that coffee grinder didn't work after you plugged it in.
2:20.2	U.S. retailers took back more than $200 billion worth of merchandise sold online last year,
2:25.9	and if you think all those products went right back into recirculation or got repaired and resold,
2:31.5	it's probably time for a reality check. Amanda Mall of the Atlantic
2:35.0	writes, we can dispense now with a common myth of modern shopping. The stuff you return
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from KQED, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of KQED and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.