$46.28 billion ($46,280,000,000)

The U.S. holiday shopping season is barely over and retailers are already predicting a record volume of returns.  Whether it’s too big, too small, or just strange, retailers are predicting that shoppers will return $46.28 billion worth of merchandise.  Because of deep discounts offered by retailers leading up to the Christmas holiday, some shoppers have been returning items before they go under the tree because items that were purchased weeks prior could be repurchased for significantly less than the original price.  While this certainly isn’t good news for retailers’ margins, there is a silver lining according to Britt Beemer of America’s Research Group: “[i]f people return something, there’s a 70% chance they will buy something else.”

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