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Kasz216 said:
Groucho said:
Kasz216 said:
Groucho said:

Stores can typically return defective merchandise to the manufacturer, but they have to have a good reason (i.e. it has to actually be defective).  All the consoles are not supposed to be returned to the retailers at all, for this same reason (they don't like to rely upon the retailers evaluation of "defective").

Retail is about risk.  If it was all effectively consignment, retail would be basically a risk-free form of generating income, and everyone and their dog would sell consoles.  Usually the same thing applies to video games, DVDs, and music -- as a matter of fact, this is why the vast majority (if not all) of retailers will not allow you to return a game or DVD, except in exchange for another exact copy (then they return the one you brought back as "defective").  If retailers (like Target, Wal-mart, etc.) could simply return games to the manufacturer, without them being defective, you'd never see clearance items.  Ever.

If you're returning non-defective games and DVDs, you're almost assuredly breaking your contract with the manufacturer who sold you the item in the first place.  Usually a proof of purchase (and return) by a consumer is sufficient claim for an items "defective" status, from the manufacturer's viewpoint, even if its not actually defective.  Its not usually worth the time to check, in the case of games.  For consoles, it is worth the time... thus consumer returns are not supposed to go through retailers.

 

Well if we're breaking the contract boy do they not care since we send back craploads of it.

We just send it back with the invoice number it was listed on... often times 90% of what we purchased and they refund the money.

 

 

Wow.  Where do you work, because I want in on a franchise. =)  I used to work in large-scale retail, so I'm pretty familiar with how it works.  Do you work in a small private business, or a big publicly traded one?

In any case, I think your situation is "unusual", to say the least.  It kinda sounds like you work in the kind of private operation where they likely try to refuse credit card transactions below a certain amount (say $5 USD) as well.  ;)  (this is also breaking a contract, with the credit card company, btw)


I work at a College store... we sell all sorts of electronics and such though... and it's fairly big.

No credit card transaction limits or anything. 

I mean they know for a fact that the merchandise isn't damaged or defective because we have a totally different return process for that.

College retailers often have strange (and awesome) deals.  You can purchase all sorts of spendy software and hardware while you are a student for dirt cheap -- manufacturers like to hook college kids on their products early, so they usually give colleges some pretty cool deals.

I'm pretty surprised at the media returns though.  No regular retail outlet I know of can do that.  I would wager that means that your store never has to have clearances on software either (like Lost Odyssey, which I scored at Target for $15 in the clearance bin the other day.  If Target could have returned it, for the ~$30 they paid for it, you can believe they would have).