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Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Buy now, return later, money back guaranteed. How America scores free stuff
When Tom Haverford goes camping with coworkers in a 2011 episode of the NBC comedy 'Parks and Recreation,' he tricks out his tent with an Xbox, fondue pot, panini press, soft-serve ice cream maker, DJ roomba, even a real bed. 'How do you afford all this stuff?' he's asked. 'I just return it the next day and claim it was defective,' replies Haverford, played by actor Aziz Ansari, while sprawled in a hammock enjoying an electric scalp massage. 'The key is crying a lot. No one likes to hear a grown man cry.' Like most sitcom material, the antic is borrowed from real life. Liberal return policies have inspired sketchy behaviors such as 'wardrobing' – when people buy expensive outfits for a special occasion and tuck the tags out of sight so they can return them the next day. Now, in a practice known as 'weekend rentals,' shoppers take home a leaf blower or a hedge trimmer only to return it when they're done with it. With high inflation and tight budgets, Paco Underhill, author of 'Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping,' says this 'rent the runway' mindset is only spreading. People are 'renting' and returning more things: Plants for open houses, outdoor tables and chairs for a party and giant televisions to watch the Super Bowl. Pressure washers and paint sprayers are discarded after home-improvement projects. Some people even bring back the ladders they used to string holiday lights from their rooflines. 'So many of the things that we buy are based on some form of immediate need and often, when that's over, it's just over,' Underhill said. 'Renting' from Costco? Retail staffers who process returns at big-box stores frequently grouse online about 'rentals through the returns desk' or the 'service desk rental program.' And they say they can predict product returns by the seasons. At Costco, where a "risk-free 100% satisfaction guarantee" gives members an unlimited grace period to bring back most purchases, snowblowers flood the returns area after the last winter storm, portable generators and chainsaws after hurricane season and air conditioning units after the summer heatwave. A Costco employee who has worked with the company in multiple states says trees, inflatables and other holiday decor get stacked seven feet high after Christmas. Some members fly Old Glory only to return the American flag after July 4, according to the staffer who also spoke on the condition of anonymity. Others 'rent' jewelry for black-tie events, including one customer who returned three $2,000-plus necklaces in one summer. And just this month, the employee processed a return for $500 worth of meat, cheese and dip left over from a wedding with fewer guests than expected. A couple of years ago at a Connecticut warehouse, a Costco member showed up at the returns desk in early November lugging an animatronic scarecrow, a 10-foot-tall witch and bags of candy from a haunted tractor ride. With no room at home to store his Halloween haul, he demanded a full refund. The store's manager explained that Costco isn't in the rentals business but processed the return anyway, an employee told USA TODAY on the condition of anonymity for fear of losing her job. When the same member turned up in early January with thousands of dollars worth of inflatable snowmen, reindeer yard decor and string lights from a winter wonderland-themed tractor ride, Costco turned him down. Other returns, the employee said, that have been accepted at her warehouse: massage guns after the member worked out a muscle knot and a fully assembled gingerbread house because 'it looks bad.' They returned dirty toilets and rugs. Then came the backlash. Shoppers who abuse return policies often excuse their behavior as a one-off or say they're just doing what everyone else is. After all, they say, what's the harm in swindling a megabucks corporation? 'Consumers often justify their actions by believing that the benefit to them outweighs the harm to the company,' said Ayelet Fishbach, professor of behavioral science and marketing at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. How money-back guarantees caught on The money-back guarantee dates back at least as far as the mid-1700s when an innovative small-town English potter Josiah Wedgwood used the gimmick to lure customers and close sales in the fine china market, according to USA TODAY research. In America, businessman Potter Palmer embraced the concept a century later when he encouraged well-heeled customers of his dry goods store in Chicago to take home merchandise on approval. Marshall Field, who took over from Palmer, carried on that legacy with his namesake department store's no-questions-asked return policy. The policy soon caught on elsewhere. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Sears catalogs were printed with the slogan: 'Satisfaction guaranteed or your money cheerfully refunded.' With successive generations of merchandising legends, from James Cash Penney of JCPenney to Sam Walton of Walmart, 'the customer is always right' became an article of faith. But the returns free-for-all really took off with the advent of internet shopping as e-commerce companies jockeyed for shoppers' eyeballs and their wallets. The competitive pressure forced more brick-and-mortar establishments to loosen their return policies, too, according to Zac Rogers, an associate professor of operations and supply chain management at Colorado State University. Zappos' customer-centric return policy was so successful that eventually Amazon bought out the retailer for $1.2 billion. 'What e-commerce has done is reset consumer expectations for the ways that retailers should behave,' Rogers said. But goosing sales with lenient returns quickly turned into a logistical and costly headache for retailers. Returns were projected to reach $890 billion in 2024, according to a report by the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns, a UPS company. Retailers estimated that nearly 17% of their annual sales in 2024 would be returned. The vast majority (93%) of retailers point to retail fraud and other exploitative behaviors as a major issue for their business, citing the increased operations expenses to process returns and increased shipping costs. "They created this monster that they now have to deal with,' Rogers said. America's $890 billion bad habit With so much merchandise headed for liquidation centers or landfills, many retailers have responded by shrinking their refund windows or by charging return fees. Despite the high costs, retailers are still cautious about how much they rein in liberal return policies, worried that discouraging returns will discourage people from making the purchases in the first place. But they aren't the only ones stuck footing the bill. 'As a vendor, we are required to accept 100% of the returns of our products, no questions asked, regardless of the reason,' an executive for a vendor told USA TODAY on the condition of anonymity because he feared losing business from Costco and other big-box stores. Return rates can run as high as 20% or more depending on the product, he said. It's not just lost sales vendors have to absorb. They have to cover the cost of shipping returned products back to the warehouse and all other associated fees. A few years ago, Costco briefly considered narrowing the return window to 90 days on outdoor power equipment, but management rejected the proposal, according to the executive, and vendors have paid the price. When he worked for a company that sold lawnmowers to Costco, the lawnmowers would fly out the door in the spring, only to fly back in come October. 'We would get used lawnmowers back and they were not even our brand,' he said. 'People would go buy a new mower, put their old mower in the box and return it.' That behavior 'is not the norm,' he said. 'But it's not the exception either.' Is a returns crackdown coming? Neil Saunders, a retail analyst at the research and analytics firm GlobalData, said he expects to see more retailers crack down on bad behavior. Home Depot, sometimes referred to as "Rent a Depot" or 'Returns Depot' because of returns abuses, recently instituted a 7-day return policy on pressure washers, dehumidifiers, window and portable air conditioners and generators. A spokeswoman denied that frequent returns were behind the policy shift. 'We added the 7-day return policy for categories that our customers need in the event of a natural disaster,' Beth Marlowe said in a written statement. 'By shortening the return window, we can have more inventory on hand to quickly move to the communities where these products are needed most.' Whatever the motivation, the new policy has slowed returns in these product categories, according to store employees. A Home Depot worker in Virginia, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of losing his job, said he used to watch customers return window AC units typically within two to three weeks. After the new policy took effect in June, he overheard some customers saying they planned to buy an air conditioning unit to cool off during a heatwave. When they approached him, he pointed out the new policy and they left without buying one. But what about customers with legit returns? When Josh Powell, a 31-year-old organ transplant coordinator from Sherwood, Arkansas, fired up the pressure washer he bought online from Home Depot to clean the siding on his new house, it began belching black smoke. So he packed up the big box and crammed into his compact SUV for the 10-minute drive to his local store. With a full refund in hand, he bought another pressure washer on the spot, but this was before the 7-day policy went into effect. Now, Powell worries what will happen if he has a problem outside that window. Too often, he says manufacturers make it difficult to return defective goods. Will he get stuck with a $500 lemon? 'People are always looking for the best benefit for them and they will take advantage of any policy they can find, so I understand why certain retailers are cracking down,' he said. At the same time, he says he would go 'full Karen' if a retailer refused to return a faulty product. 'I don't know what the answer is,' Powell said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Buy now, return later. How lax return policies became license to cheat Solve the daily Crossword
CTV News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Aziz Ansari kicks off Halifax Great Outdoors Comedy Festival Thursday
The Great Outdoors Comedy Festival is returning to Halifax this week, with Emmy-winning comedian and actor Aziz Ansari as opening night headliner. In an interview with CTV Atlantic's Katie Kelly, Ansari said he's looking forward to his first time in Halifax. 'I hear it's a beautiful outdoor venue, and I love doing outdoor shows like that,' said Ansari. This stop is part of Ansari's 'Hypothetical Tour' which talks about a new chapter in his life. 'I just got married, and we're trying to have kids, so I'm talking about all the headaches that come with that.' This marks the third year for the Halifax edition of the travelling comedy festival. Mike Anderson with Trixstar Entertainment says this year's lineup is the biggest yet. 'We've got Tony Hinchcliffe and & The Killers of Kill Tony on Friday,' he said. 'Saturday is a festival in itself - we've got Jeff Arcuri for the matinee, and in the evening, Ms. Pat, Whitney Cummings, and Bert 'The Machine' Kreischer.' The laughs continue on Sunday with a stacked lineup featuring John Mulaney, Fred Armisen, Nick Kroll, and Mike Birbiglia. 'Live comedy is the best,' said Ansari. 'It's so cool to travel around and see how much people are into coming out and seeing standup these days. I'm excited to do it in Halifax.' Anderson says the festival has grown thanks to support from the local comedy community and audiences across the Maritimes. 'We're excited to welcome Halifax and all the visitors to this amazing city and these beautiful grounds,' he said.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Top-level comedians take the stage this week in CT arts from Jerry Seinfeld to John Mulaney
It's an exception week for live comedy in Connecticut with Ana Gasteyer at Westport Playhouse, Aziz Ansari at Ridgefield Playhouse, Louis C.K. at Foxwoods, Jerry Seinfeld in Bridgeport and a quadruple bill of John Mulaney, Fred Armisen, Mike Birbiglia and Nick Kroll at Westville Music Bowl. If music is your thing, take your pick from metal legends Pantera, rapper L'il Wayne and country star Luke Bryan at the Xfinity Theatre in Hartford or 1990s rockers Goo Goo Dolls and Dashboard Confessional at the Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater and The Flaming Lips and Modest Mouse at Westville Music Bowl. The famed metal band Pantera, who has been rocking since 1981, is at Xfinity Theatre on Aug. 3 at 7 p.m. $54.50-$792.40. The name of country star Lyle Lovett's backing group, 'HIs Large Band,' is more than an amusing play on 'big band.' It really is a powerful, wide-ranging ensemble that suits Lovett's grand Americana exuberance. Aug. 5 at 8 p.m. $69.92-$122.42. Rapper L'il Wayne of 'Annihilate' and 'Lollipop' fame brings his 'Tha Carter VI Tour: 20+ Years of Carter Classics' to the Xfinity Theatre on Aug. 5 at 8 p.m. His first 'Tha Carter' album came out in 2004, it was followed by 'Tha Carter II' in 2005 and 'Tha Carter VI,' was released this year. $40.56-$617.30. SteveSongs, the children's entertainer seen on PBS Kids, plays a live show that also features Connecticut singer/songwriter Chris Listorti. Aug. 6 at 1 p.m. $12-$17. The 'Parks and Recreation' and 'Master of None' comic actor has always been a stand-up star. His show on Aug. 6 at 7 p.m. at Ridgefield Playhouse quickly sold out so a second show has been added at 9:30 p.m. $86-$186. It's a smorgasbord of contemporary comedy stylists. John Mulaney has been mining his own life for material lately. Fred Armisen performs comedy for drummers and is known from his past successes on 'Saturday Night Live,' 'Portlandia' and 'Late Night with Seth Meyers.' Mike Birbiglia does long-form comedy storytelling on a variety of topics, and Nick Kroll does funny voices among other things. Aug. 7 at 7 p.m. $68-$766. Mexican-American alt-rock/metal singer/songwriter Violent Vira, whose songs include 'Trantula Girl' and 'I'll Save Myself This Time,' is in the grand tradition of fast-rising acts that play Toad's Place before they wind up in bigger venues. Aug. 7 at 8 p.m. $35.25-$48; added VIP package available. The latest experimental theater piece(s) at the Yale Summer Cabaret, an innovative summer theater run by students at the Geffen School of Drama at Yale, are the interconnected one-acts 'It's not you, it's the end of the world,' with a first act written by Andrew Rincón and a second act by Max Sheldon. Performances are Aug. 7 and 8 at 8 p.m. and Aug. 9 at 3 and 8 p.m. $10; $20 with post-show event; $30 with pre- and post-show events. Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's 'penny dreadful' musical is about a barber who slays his clients and has his baker friend turn the victims into meat pies. It's kind of a love story. The Legacy Theatre in Branford is one of several productions of this classic coming up in the next year or so. Aug. 7-24. Performances are Thursdays and Fridays at 7 p.m.. Saturdays at 2 and 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. $40.50-$56.50. Though The Flaming Lips and Modest Mouse have both been around for ages, they maintain an experimental edge that keeps their music current. Opening act Friko, a hot indie duo from Chicago, adds some contemporaneity to the concert. Aug. 8 at 6:30 p.m. $35-$278. The Connecticut wavecore band is releasing an album, 'The Lost Years,' at this Webster Underground show on Aug. 8 at 7 p.m., with three other local bands on the bill: Night Rider, No Eye Has Seen and Shapethrower. $28.35. Yet another double bill of bands who made big waves in the 1990s. This time it's Goo Goo Dolls, whose biggest hit was 'Iris,' plus Dashboard Confessional, the act that almost singlehandedly brought emo rock into the mainstream. Aug. 8 at 7:30 p.m. $106.25-$444.15. The Mountain Goats, whose key member is and always has been John Darnielle, is deep and moody and very prolific, having released 22 albums between 1994 and now. The most recent album is 2023's 'Jenny from Athens,' so this is actually a fairly sizable lull in recording for Darnielle. Happily, The Mountain Goats are on tour, stopping at an ideal venue for this intimate, internalized indie folk/pop outfit, Aug. 8 at 8 p.m. at Infinity Music Hall Hartford. $57.73-$73.19. 'Saturday Night Live' veteran Ana Gasteyer, known for her deadpan impression of an NPR radio host, brings her solo act to Westport Playhouse on Aug. 8 at 8 p.m. $95-$125. Connecticut's largest comics convention is back for a 10th year at Mohegan Sun with vendors, cosplay, panels and other events, plus guest appearances by dozens of artists, writers and action movie stars. TV and movie celebrities on hand include Karen Allen, Carl Lumbly, Hayley Atwel, Titus Welliver, Henry Thomas and the bionic couple of Lee Majors and Lindsay Wagner. Comics fans will be awed by the likes of Chris Claremont, Skottie Young, Kevin Eastman and John Romita Jr. Aug. 8 from 1-8 p.m., Aug. 9 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Aug. 10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $47 on Saturday, $42 on Friday or Sunday, $20 per day for children. A three-day pass is $120, $55 for children. The assumption is that the Best Music Festival will provide the best music, but the title mainly means that the festival was put together by Best Video, the landmark video store and cultural center in Hamden. Best Video has its own small stage and several live shows per week but is holding this event at Space Ballroom, a larger venue in the same town. The daylong show begins at 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 9 and the many bands playing are Trophy Wife, Rick, Bruiser & Bicycle, Pulsr, Wally, Jeff Mueller, the Hartford pop band Carey, Dead Doe, Death Valley Sun Troopers, All the Pretty Horses, Nehway and The Knife Kickers. $32.34. Max Creek and Booyah, the kind of bands you most want to get when holding an outdoor celebration, will entertain at a five-hour celebration of the first 20 years of the Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center. Besides live music., there are food trucks, drinks from the Moonlight Pub and a ceremony honoring the venue's many volunteers over the years. Aug. 9 from 4 to 9:45 p.m. $26-$535.38. The controversial star of 'Louie,' 'Horace and Pete' and other shows has returned to live performance in a big way. He's has two shows on Aug. 9 at 5 and 9 p.m. at Foxwoods' Premier Theatre. $71.35-$114.50. Country superstar Luke Bryan has named this year's tour after his big hit from last year, 'Country Song Came On.' Aug. 9 at 7 p.m. $67.45-$474.30. Sitcom legend and precision joke crafter Jerry Seinfeld remains a revered standup comedian. On Aug. 9 at 8 p.m., he's at the Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater. $225.25-$678.10. The Florida metal band Nonpoint has been around since the late 1990s, released its last album of new material in 2018 and is on its 'Painful Statements' tour. The opening acts are Upon a Burning Body and Autumn Kings. Aug. 9 at 8 p.m. $34.54. Solve the daily Crossword
Arab News
29-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
GEA announces lineup for Riyadh Comedy Festival in September
LONDON: Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, announced on Monday the lineup of stand-up comedians who will perform at the inaugural Riyadh Comedy Festival in September. Award-winning Hollywood actor Chris Tucker, critically acclaimed performer Pete Davidson, and Emmy-award-winning Aziz Ansari are among over 50 top comedians from around the world who will be performing at Boulevard City in the capital, Riyadh, from September 26 to October 9. Tom Segura, known for Netflix specials like Ball Hog and Bad Thoughts, will star at the two-week festival, joined by popular podcast hosts Andrew Santino and Bobby Lee, Emmy-nominated writer Nimesh Patel, late-night favorite Sam Morril, and UK actor Omid Djalili, recognized for his global stand-up performances. Caption This year's Riyadh Comedy Festival will also feature Chris Distefano, who recently released his special It's Just Fortunate; Mark Normand, known for his Netflix special Soup To Nuts; Hannibal Buress, a veteran writer and comedian; Louis C.K., a six-time Emmy and three-time Grammy winner; and Jimeoin, recognized for his observational comedy. The comedians listed are among the first 26 artists to confirm their participation in the festival this week. The Riyadh Comedy Festival will also announce additional performers in the coming weeks. Confirmed acts also include Andrew Schulz, Bill Burr, Bobby Lee, Gabriel 'Fluffy' Iglesias, Jessica Kirson, Jimmy Carr, Jo Koy, Kevin Hart, Maz Jobrani, Russell Peters, Sebastian Maniscalco, Whitney Cummings, and Zarna Garg.
Arab News
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
GEA announces comedian lineup for Riyadh Comedy Festival in September
LONDON: Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, announced on Monday the lineup of stand-up comedians who will perform at the inaugural Riyadh Comedy Festival in September. Award-winning Hollywood actor Chris Tucker, critically acclaimed performer Pete Davidson, and Emmy-award-winning Aziz Ansari are among over 50 top comedians from around the world who will be performing at Boulevard City in the capital, Riyadh, from September 26 to October 9. Tom Segura, known for Netflix specials like Ball Hog and Bad Thoughts, will star at the two-week festival, joined by popular podcast hosts Andrew Santino and Bobby Lee, Emmy-nominated writer Nimesh Patel, late-night favorite Sam Morril, and UK actor Omid Djalili, recognized for his global stand-up performances. This year's Riyadh Comedy Festival will also feature Chris Distefano, who recently released his special It's Just Fortunate; Mark Normand, known for his Netflix special Soup To Nuts; Hannibal Buress, a veteran writer and comedian; Louis C.K., a six-time Emmy and three-time Grammy winner; and Jimeoin, recognized for his observational comedy. The comedians listed are among the first 26 artists to confirm their participation in the festival this week. The Riyadh Comedy Festival will also announce additional performers in the coming weeks. Confirmed acts also include Andrew Schulz, Bill Burr, Bobby Lee, Gabriel 'Fluffy' Iglesias, Jessica Kirson, Jimmy Carr, Jo Koy, Kevin Hart, Maz Jobrani, Russell Peters, Sebastian Maniscalco, Whitney Cummings, and Zarna Garg.
