Here are 5 ways to avoid them

Experts shared tips for strategic shopping this season...including how to shop smartly on Black Friday.

We are entering the busiest shopping season of the year, and brands will try to convince us through irresistible transactions and sales that we really need their products. But after a few weeks, consumers will return many of these products.

Free returns are common in the retail industry, but they have brought a huge price to the planet, accelerated climate change and blocked landfills. Transportation returned inventory across the United States is estimated to generate 15 million tons of carbon emissions each year, which is equivalent to the annual emissions of 3 million vehicles. When these returned products arrive at the warehouse, the retailer dumps 5 million tons in the trash can, as this is usually cheaper than trying to resell. Many of these returns occur after the Christmas holidays; more than half of consumers expect to return unwanted holiday gifts within one month of receiving them. Last year, USPS processed approximately 1.9 million returns on January 2 alone.

If you are concerned about the fragile state of the earth, avoiding return is a way to help. It needs to plan ahead to strategically consider what you will buy for yourself and your friends and family in the next few weeks. This is a wise buying guide that can reduce the need for returns.

Destigmatization gift list

Lorraine Wittig, co-founder of the conscious consumerist brand Brightly, points out that there are many arbitrary rules for gift giving. In many families, people feel that they need to surprise each other with thoughtful, well-wrapped gifts to show how well they know each other. But this usually means receiving a gift that you don’t really like or would not use, leading to a return.

Wittig says one solution is to encourage everyone in the family to create a holiday gift list and share it. It doesn’t have to be particularly fancy: Wittig created an open Google Sheet that contains the products she wants, links, and columns that people can check after purchasing the product. "I found that older family members particularly resist this practice because it runs counter to their gift-giving ideas," she said. "But over time, people will get used to it and appreciate it."

As someone who has been doing this for several years, Wittig said that it is wise to put a wide range of products and price points on the list to provide people with choices. She rarely puts fashion or clothing products there because the size can be very complicated. She also noted at the top that these are just general ideas of what she wants, and if the giver wishes, she can buy similar things at any time.

三和一善

Focus on consumables

Being trapped at home during the pandemic revealed to many of us how little space we actually have. Therefore, instead of buying more things that will mess up your home or other people's homes, Wittig recommends that you focus on what you can consume. Use the holidays to provide snacks that some people might not buy for themselves, such as a special bottle of wine or exquisite sweets. Last year, a friend bought me hand sanitizer from luxury perfume maker Byredo. I have used it and enjoyed it for a whole year — and probably won’t splurge. "These are things you or your loved ones would like to use and are unlikely to return," Wittig said. "Then it will eventually no longer take up space in your home."

Reconsider buying clothes

Clothing is a major culprit for returns, especially when buying on the Internet. A survey found that 40% of online fashion products were returned. Part of the reason is that when you buy online, it's difficult to figure out whether a piece of clothing fits well, or whether it is of good quality.

When buying clothes for yourself during the holidays, you can consider going to physical stores or boutiques to try them on. If you are shopping online, it makes sense to buy brands that you have already bought and know you will wear, rather than exploring new brands for which you may not know the size.

It is even more difficult to buy clothes for others as gifts. Many people choose to buy scarves and hats to make size easier, but you never know if your friends and family really need these accessories. In the end, buying gift cards for the brands of your loved ones may be your best choice. Again, this may mean overcoming the stigma of gift giving, but if your family is a big fan of Everlane or Madewell, they may be happy to have the opportunity to shop for themselves, or may save the gift card when they really need a new one Jacket or bag.

Smart black friday

Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday deals are often the best deals of the year, so it makes perfect sense to make the most of them. But this is also when brands use their best technology to convince you to buy as much as possible, says sustainability expert and author of Give a Sh*t: Do Good Ashlee Piper. Live better. Save the earth. "The psychological magic of marketing during Black Friday is very powerful," she said. In order to solve this problem, she suggested to ask herself some basic questions, for example, do I already have something like this? Do I really need to repeat? If there is no discount, will I buy it?

One strategy is to use these sales to only stock items that you use frequently throughout the year, such as beauty products or coffee. Before you start selling, you might list the things you buy frequently to see if you can buy these products at a lower price. This will reduce the likelihood that you will make the buyer regret and want to return the item.

Better returns and swaps

If you end up having to return an item, there are strategies to reduce the impact. Piper said that if you purchased the product online, please try not to simply pack it and return it by mail. "Choose the most accessible option, such as an Amazon kiosk or physical store," she said. "This helps reduce transportation materials and subsequent emissions." Sometimes these products are shipped to distribution centers anyway, so this is not an ideal solution, but it's worth trying to reduce your environmental footprint.

On platforms such as Facebook and NextDoor, there are also many thriving "buy nothing" groups where people can share the products they want to get rid of. Many of these groups are specific communities that allow you to exchange items with your neighbors. Therefore, instead of shipping the item back to a retailer who might end up in a landfill, try to make a transaction with someone who really wants the item. You may eventually get what you really want in return.