Return product abuse

[Ford_man]

 I deliver product to a big box store, day before yesterday as I delivered I noticed in the scrap hopper there was a new #2 shovel and some other new products. Yesterday at another store in the scrap hopper was a new floor jack and a new 5020 polan chain saw with case and in the box,I looked at both and saw they wer use 1 time then were returned to gt there money back there was nothing wrong with the jack because I was able to jack up the hopper before they put it in the hopper.

[ed in idaho]

where do the items go from the hopper?

Ed

[21incher]

Sometimes employees throw stuff in the dumpster and then go back and get it later.

[beenthere]

As 21incher said, it is one way the employee's steal from their place of work.. either for themselves or others. Toss it and then allow the dumpster divers to fish it out.

On the other hand, costs to try to re-sell returned items so it may be the least cost solution to the store.
And they cannot sell it as a new item again.

Change of inventory and supplier may be another reason for tossing items.

Some places have a policy to destroy the items prior to putting in their dumpster so it doesn't attract dumpster divers.

[Al_Smith]

FWIW and general info some stores have a no questions asked return policy .Some people buy an item,use it then return it .Nothing wrong with it.They get a refuund .

The item ,for example a Milwaukie drill is sold to a sort of rebuilder who tests it ,repacks the item in a new case with new instructions and sells it with a guarentee .

If you surf the net you can find some dandy deals .I got a 1/2" right angle  Milwaukie drill for 200 bucks several years ago .Cheaper by far than some old rag from flea bay .

[luvmexfood]

I worked part-time last spring for one of the major lawn care products company. One of the things I did was getting company approval to reemburse big box stores for product that had been returned as defective.

It was nothing to get a gallon of a weed killer product where the consumer had used 3/4 of it and then add some water back and return it to the store saying it didn't work.

[sawguy21]

I lived between town and the landfill, a friend worked there as a packer operator. I never knew what I would find in my yard while he wheeled and dealed. :D Costco wrote off and threw out a lot of product because it cost more to return than the it was worth.