Need to return an Amazon package? Soon you’ll be able to return it at area Kohl’s

Area Kohl’s stores like this one in Beavercreek will soon take Amazon returns.

Area Kohl’s stores like this one in Beavercreek will soon take Amazon returns.

Dayton-area online shoppers won’t have to print a shipping label, find a box and head to the post office to return an unwanted Amazon order come June.

Kohl’s announced this week that it plans to expand its pilot Amazon returns program to all 1,150 stores nationwide this summer. That includes area stores in Beavercreek, Huber Heights, Centerville, Miamisburg, Middletown, Troy, Springfield, South Lebanon, West Chester, Fairfield and several others in the Cincinnati area.

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Customers will be able to take unpackaged Amazon purchases to designated return locations at Kohl’s stores, and Kohl’s will package and ship the return to Amazon return centers for the customers.

“Amazon and Kohl’s have a shared passion in providing outstanding customer service, and this unique partnership combines Kohl’s strong nationwide store footprint and omnichannel capabilities with Amazon’s reach and customer loyalty. This new service is another example of how Kohl’s is delivering innovation to drive traffic to our stores and bring more relevance to our customers,” said Michelle Gass, Kohl’s CEO.

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Brick-and-mortar stores have struggled at the hands of Amazon, as more shoppers change their habits and increasingly move online for shopping. Kohl’s has seen success in its test markets, with Chicago’s Amazon returns stores boosting revenue by 10 percent in the first quarter of 2018, compared to 5 percent growth at other U.S. stores, according to a recent study from Earnest Research, a firm that uses raw data to help investors.

By the summer of 2018, between 7% and 8% of brick-and-mortar shoppers at Kohl’s stores in Chicago were returning Amazon items, according to the study.

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