Rather than compete with Amazon, Kohl’s is welcoming a partnership with the tech giant with open arms.
After announcing earlier this summer that Kohl’s would be selling select Amazon devices at 10 of its stores, the department store chain said Tuesday it will also start accepting Amazon.com returns at 82 locations in the U.S., CNBC reports. Kohl’s will even pack and ship eligible items back to Amazon’s fulfillment center for customers at no cost.
So what is the trade-off?
The new initiative aims to make the shopping and return process easier and more convenient for customers by leveraging the strengths of both retailers. It also increases customer traffic at Kohl's stores — a beneficial perk when it comes to the impulse buy.
The return service is set to start next month in Los Angeles and Chicago, CNBC reports. A similar service exists at Whole Foods, where shoppers are able to return Amazon purchases at more than 400 of its supermarket locations.
This could be pivotal to Kohl’s, which has suffered setbacks this year and recently announced moves to reduce its brick-and-mortar footprint across the U.S. by downsizing approximately half of its stores by the end of the year.
Kohl’s shares rose 2.7% after the news broke Tuesday.
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