Have you ever bought something, got it home and torn it open, only to realize it sucks, or doesn’t fit, or just isn’t what you thought it was? Then realize that since you opened it, you can’t return it and are stuck with it for eternity. Or maybe you wear a pair of shoes for a couple weeks and they keep giving you painful blisters? Some stores have awesome return policies in place that allow you to actually return used or opened items with NO questions asked (just don’t abuse them or you can bet they’ll go away forever). Below are all of the stores that fit this category.

Anthropologie

The return policy at Anthropologie is pretty awesome:

• If you’re not satisfied with your purchase, for ANY reason, they’ll take care of you with a full refund or exchange.
• You can even get a refund on worn merchandise purchased over a year ago, with or without a receipt.

If you don’t have a receipt, they’ll give you the current selling price of the item.

Apple Store

If you bought an item directly from an Apple Store you can return used items. Here are the details:

• You have exactly 14 days to return items, opened or unopened.
• You can use this policy to basically “test drive” items to see if you like them.

Items not available for return include: Opened software, Electronic Software Downloads, Apple Store Gift Cards,  Developer products (membership, technical support incidents, WWDC tickets), and Apple Print Products.

See Also: Apple Return Policy: 7 Reasons Why It’s Great & 5 Reasons Why It Kinda Sucks

Athleta

Athleta sells popular workout/yoga clothing and shoes for women and has a fantastic return policy.

• Unlike parent companies Old Navy, Gap, and Banana Republic, you can return worn clothing to Athleta for ANY reason.

They allow 60 days for you to return or exchange items.

Bath & Body Works

Here are the details of the “100% Guarantee” at Bath & Body Works:

• From their website, “If at any time you’re not completely satisfied with the quality of our products, you may return them to any of our Bath & Body Works stores.”
• If you don’t have your receipt they’ll still take back the item but give you the lowest selling price on record.

If they think you may be abusing their return policy, they reserve the right to scan your driver’s license to keep you from abusing their policy in the future.

See Also: Retailers That Will Refund You and Let You Keep the Items Too

Body Shop

The Body Shop has a very liberal return policy as well. Here’s what you need to know:

• If you have your receipt, you can return items, new or used, for a full refund.
• There is NO time-limit, so be sure to hang on to those receipts.

With no receipt in hand, the best they can do is a store credit at the lowest selling price in the past 30 days.

Costco

The Costco return policy is legendary. Here’s the skinny:

• You can return items to the warehouse, no matter the shape or condition, if not completely satisfied.
• The only products that have a time restraint on them are electronics at 90 days from date of purchase. The following is considered an electronics item: Televisions and Projectors, Computers, Touchscreen Tablets, Cameras, Camcorders, MP3 players and Cellular Phones.
• Also, all diamonds at 1.00 ct or larger require original paperwork for return.

Other than diamonds, a receipt is not required as Costco can look up your order details in their system.

CVS Pharmacy

While CVS will not take back most used items, they do make one big exception…

• Beauty products have a 100% satisfaction guarantee.  If not happy, for whatever reason, just bring it back opened or unopened for a full refund.

There’s no time limit on returns but you must have your original receipt.

Eddie Bauer

Eddie Bauer has an Unconditional Lifetime Guarantee on all their products. Here’s what you need to know.

• Eddie stands behind their clothing, “If anything you buy falls short of our standards, you’re invited to return it at any time.”
• When returning items with a receipt, you’re eligible for a full refund or exchange.

When returning items without a receipt, you can get a store credit or exchange.

Kohl’s

The folks at Kohl’s have a killer “No Questions Asked – Hassle-Free” guarantee. Here’s how it works:

• Kohl’s will take back all items, new or used, at any time if you’re not satisfied with your purchase. No questions asked.
• There is NO time restriction on ALL returns and no receipt needed if your purchase is on your Kohl’s card within the past 12 months.

If you made your purchase with something other than a Kohl’s card, you can still return items without a receipt but you’ll have to settle for store credit or an even exchange.

Lands’ End

The Lands’ End return policy is titled “Guaranteed. Period.“ and is very similar to the policy at Eddie Bauer.

• Lands’ End will take back any item, at any time, for any reason. No questions asked.
• If you wear something for a couple weeks, or months, or years, and decide it just isn’t for you, they’ll take it back for a full refund or exchange.
• If you return an item where the record of purchase dates back 9 months or greater, they’ll issue a refund in the form of a refund check.

If you return an item with NO record of purchase, they’ll issue a refund for the item’s lowest sale price in the form of a Lands’ End gift card.

L.L.Bean

L.L.Bean also has a 100% satisfaction guaranteed policy that’s worth knowing about.

• They’ll take back both new and heavily used items if they fail or you’re not happy for any reason.
• No receipt? No problem. If a receipt can’t be located, they’ll “give you an L.L.Bean Gift Card for the current selling price of the item, or replace your item.”

If the original item is no longer available, they’ll probably call or email you “to help determine an alternative that works for you.” Pretty amazing policy.

Nordstrom

It’s long been known to loyal Nordstrom shoppers that they have one of the best return policies going.

• They’ll take back pretty much anything, at any time, with or without a receipt.

They strive to work fairly with you to make sure you’re happy with your purchase and they ask that you treat them fairly as well, and don’t abuse the policy.

REI

Here are the details of the awesome return policy at REI.

• REI stands behind all of the products they sell with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
• If you’re not completely satisfied with any product, for any reason, you can return it for a full refund, or replacement, within 1 year of purchase.

Important note on used products being returned, “Used items must be cleaned for a return or exchange. If you send merchandise that is not cleaned or laundered to the REI Returns Department, it will be returned at your expense.”

Trader Joe’s

It’s a little known fact that Trader Joe’s has a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

• If you’re not satisfied with any product you buy at Trader Joe’s, you can return it NO questions asked with NO limits.
• The item could be half eaten or half drank; it doesn’t matter.

They stand behind everything they sell.

Whole Foods Market

If you shop at Whole Foods, are you aware of their killer return policy? Here’s how it works:

• Whole Foods guarantees every product they sell and allows you to bring back items opened, or unopened, for ANY reason.

For them to take items back, you must have your original receipt.

Zappos

The service center at Zappos is legendary and will often bend over backwards to make the customer happy.

Here’s what you need to know:

• The Zappos website states that all items must be returned in their “original condition” within 365 days of purchase.
• But…I found this website which talks about a blogger who bought an expensive pair of running shoes from Zappos, jogged in them for over 400 miles but kept getting blisters.
• He thought he was screwed as he didn’t have any of the original packaging. But he decided to call them anyways and not only did they replace his shoes with a new size, but they gave him a $35 credit as the shoes had dropped in price. So awesome Zappos.

Your best bet when it comes to returning used shoes, clothing, and handbags, is to call them at 1 (800) 927-7671 and explain your situation.

Happy returns.

By Kyle James

Photo by TopRank Marketing.

Warning: These logos are really fun and totally addicting. Ever since I started researching this article, I’ve been looking at every logo I can find to see if they have a secret meaning hidden within. Some are more obvious than others, but all are really fun to check out.

Amazon.com

I always looked at the Amazon logo and saw a happy smile and nothing else, but I clearly wasn’t looking hard enough.

The smiley face is actually an arrow going from the A to the Z, signifying that they have every product under the sun from Aardvark Hot Sauce to Zumba Fitness DVD.

Apple

The apple with the single bite taken from it sure beats Apple’s first logo which resembles a flyer for a local Renaissance fair.

While this iconic logo doesn’t have any overt hidden meaning, many think the single bite from the apple is to honor Alan Turing, the man who laid the groundwork for the modern computer and unlocked German codes during WWII. He tragically ended his own life in 1954 after biting into an apple laced with cyanide.

Baskin Robbins

When I was a kid, we called our local Baskin Robbins ice cream shop “31 Flavors” because, well, that’s what they carried.

Their logo these days hints back to the good ol’ days which is really cool. Check out the B and the R and notice the “31” sandwiched in there to make up the letters.

F1 Racing

Formula One racing has a logo that uses white space in a unique way.

Notice the black F and the red racing streamers, then notice the white number 1 built off the F and red streamers. Kind of cool.

See Also: The Alternative Brands That Are Cheaper (and Often Just as Good)

FedEx

I’ve been looking at the FedEx logo for years, and never noticed the white arrow that makes up the “E” and the “x” in the word “Ex”. The arrow obviously signifies moving packages in the right direction and not being thrown by drivers.

George Washington University

First of all, to understand this college sports logo you need to know that George Washington University is located in our nation’s capital.

Can you spot a national landmark located in Washington D.C. on the logo? Need help? Check out the “W” really closely. If you still can’t find it, look at the center of the “W”, do you see the Washington Monument? Looks more like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but it’s definitely there.

Gillette

This one is a little more nuisance and has to do with the product Gillette is known for, razors!

Check out the “G” and the “i”, in particular the dot on the “i” and notice how it looks like a razor’s edge that cuts right through the “G” at the same angle. See it?

Goodwill

See the half smiley face in the top left corner of the Goodwill logo? Kinda hard to miss. Now look at the letter “g” in the work goodwill.

See any similarities? The smiley face obviously symbolizes the idea of maintaining goodwill and helping those that need it the most.

Hershey’s Kisses

This is one of my favorites, both to eat by the dozen and logo investigate. See if you can find the single Hershey’s Kiss hidden in the word “KISSES”.

If you can’t find it, try turning your head 90 degrees to the left. Do you see it now, or did I just totally tweak your neck?

Jack In The Box

The old logo from Jack In The Box is a bit of a head scratcher. Check out the “o” and the “x” in the word “Box”.

They are mutated together to look like a fish. I can’t find any info as to why, maybe they had a new fish sandwich they were trying to promote at the time.

LG Electronics

First off, any idea what LG stands for? Apparently it stands for “Life’s Good” which is okay, I guess. My life’s good, or at least better, when my electronics work like there suppose to. But look at the weird reddish circle thing.

First, do you see the L and the G? Next, do you see the face? The L makes up the nose and and the G is the face. Also, it kinda looks like PacMan ran into a city bus going 55.

Milwaukee Brewers

I can remember being a kid in the 80’s and finally seeing the double meaning of the Brewers logo.

I say “finally” because I apparently was a slow child, as I was the last of my friends to spot it. Do you see the “m” and the “b” that obviously stand for Milwaukee Brewers?

Okay, cool. Now do you also see that those two letters make up a baseball glove, along with an actual ball making up the center of the “b”. Whoever designed this logo clearly deserves a plague in Cooperstown.

Northwest Airlines

Northwest Airlines did a cool little thing with their logo. First, they combined the N and the W by using a negative space trick.

Then they had the tip of the “W” designed to look like an arrow which makes the circle look like a compass. In other words, Northwest clearly knows which direction they are flying.

Pinterest

The name of the game at Pinterest is “pinning” cool things you find online to share with others.

So it makes sense they would get clever with their logo and add an actual pin to the “P”.

Pittsburgh Zoo

I love this one. The folks at the Pittsburgh Zoo do a fantastic job using negative space to create a memorable logo.

Can you spot the animals? I see a gorilla, a lioness, and a few fish at the bottom. This logo totally makes me want to take the kids.

San Diego Zoo

While not nearly as cool as the Pittsburgh Zoo logo, the San Diego Zoo kept to the animal theme and made the word “zoo” look like an animal paw print, or is it animal scat.

No, I’m sticking with paw print.

Sony Vaio

This one is really cool. When it comes to their VAIO logo, Sony was able to get creative and incorporate computers and technology directly into it.

The “VA” represents an analog wave and the “IO” represents the binary code of 1 and 0.

Starbucks

Have you ever wondered what the heck the mermaid looking thing was on your $4 Starbucks latte?

While nothing is hidden on the logo, it certainly has a significant meaning.

The gal is actually a 16th century Norse woodcut by the name of Siren.

She is a “twin tailed” mermaid and has strong ties to the sea. Starbucks being founded in Seattle, also has strong ties to the ocean and thus went with Siren back in 1971, and haven’t looked back.

Toblerone

Do bears like chocolate? Apparently the folks at Toblerone think they do, as they hid a full silhouette of a bear climbing the Matterhorn on their logo.

Do you see it yet? In actuality, Toblerone is manufactured in Bern, Switzerland, a town known as the “City of Bears” located in the country famous for the Matterhorn.

Tostitos

Check out the two “t’s” on both sides of the “i”.

The folks at Tostitos cleverly designed the logo to look like a couple chip enthusiasts fighting over a single chip, with a bowl of salsa, dotting the “i”, as the prize.

Tour de France

The Tour de France bicycle race created a cool logo a few years back that also has a dude riding a bike hidden in it.

Can you spot it? Take a look at the “r” in the word “Tour” if you need a hint. Notice both wheels and the rider? Looks like a steroid free Lance Armstrong.

Washington State University

Washington State was able to make their school letters (WSU) actually look like their mascot, a cougar.

The “U” is a bit of a stretch and makes up the lower jaw of the cougar. But hey, definitely an A for effort.

Wendy’s

Nothing beats Mom’s home cooking like a juicy square burger from Wendy’s.

Check out the collar on Wendy’s shirt, do you see the word “MOM” hidden within? While Wendy’s has said the word is unintentional, I think it’s clearly a subliminal message.

Any logos out there that you think should be added to my list? Let me know and I’d love to take a look and get them added.

By Kyle James

Free 2-day shipping via Amazon Prime is pretty dang awesome, but in all actuality, are the Amazon Prime benefits worth the money? When it comes to Prime, free shipping is just the tip of the iceberg when you start digging into some of the cool “other” Prime benefits that are included with your $139 Prime membership fee. Features you probably had no idea existed, or know very little about, especially if you signed up for Prime over a year ago when many didn’t exist yet.

If you’re on the fence about joining, these Prime benefits just might sway you into signing up, or at the very least trying a 30-day trial membership. If you’re already a member, start using these Amazon Prime benefits today, I think you’ll love what you discover.

1. Amazon Fresh

As of November 2019, the 2-hour grocery delivery service known as Amazon Fresh is completely free to Prime Members.

The service did cost $14.99/month, but alas, no more.

Order at least $35 worth of grocery items and Amazon will deliver them usually within 2 hours.

The service is currently available in 19 major markets with new cities being added often.

2. Amazon Prime Reading

Amazon Prime members can now pick from 1,000’s of books, magazines, Kindle singles and more, and read them all for FREE via Prime Reading.

And the best part is you don’t need a Kindle device to make it happen.

Just download the Kindle app for iOS or Android and start reading anytime, anywhere.

See Also: 6 Brilliantly Slick Ways to Get Amazon Prime for Free

3. Students, Get Prime Free for 6 Months

Did you know that students with a .edu email address can get Amazon Prime free 2-day shipping for 6 months at NO charge? Here are the details:

• Click Here to sign-up for your free 6 months of Amazon Student.
• You’ll get free 2-day shipping, but won’t be eligible for Prime Instant Video, Prime Music or the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library.
• After your free 6 months expires, you’ll have the option to upgrade to a full Amazon Prime membership for 50% off and can cancel at anytime.
• Great way to stock up for college and dorm room supplies, on the cheap, without incurring shipping charges.

If you’re a student and can get rid of services like Netflix and Spotify and use Amazon Student instead, you can save significant money.

4. Amazon Audible Channels

Another newish Amazon Prime benefit is unlimited access to podcasts and audio from Amazon-owned Audible.

The service previously costs $5 per month and is now completely free. All that Prime members need to do is download the Android or iOS app and start tuning into Audible Channels right away at no additional cost.

Some of the top audio content includes cool stuff from The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Charlie Rose, and The Onion, among others. The best part is that you’ll listen ad-free forever.

5. Prime Music Streaming Service

If you’re the main Amazon Prime account holder, and not an invited guest, you now have “unlimited, ad-free access to Prime Playlists and more than a million songs and albums at no additional cost.” The service is simply called Prime Music and can be accessed via the Prime Music app (Free for iOS and Android) or the Amazon website.

Once you log-in to Prime Music, all of the songs you have ever purchased from Amazon will automatically be added to your music library.

Next, you’ll have the ability to search, find, and add over 1 million songs to your library as well. Most songs will be free, and some by the same artist will only be available if you pay for them.

I was very happily surprised that many new albums and singles are available to listen to for free. Once you’ve added music in your library, you can play songs whenever you want and aren’t bound to a shuffle feature like the free version of Spotify.

It also beats the free version of Pandora as you have an unlimited number of skips and can play any song in your playlist, including songs you just listened to.

The ad-free feature is a huge plus and something that makes Prime Music a no-brainer for existing members. Amazon clearly makes zero money directly off their music service, currently anyways.

What they plan to do with it in the future remains to be seen. But for now, enjoy the free music.

6. Amazon Twitch Prime

With Twitch Prime, Amazon Prime members now have an online community where gamers can get together.

Twitch is considered a social video platform designed specifically for “gamers, video game culture, and the creative arts.” All ad-free which is cool.

Also, when you use Twitch you’ll get access to cool monthly freebies. For example, as of this writing they were giving away an “Overwatch Golden Loot Box” along with five free loot boxes.

7. 2-Day Delivery Not Fast Enough?

Whole Foods and Amazon have teamed up to bring you over 1-million items currently available for 1-day delivery with a service called Amazon Prime Now that is included in the cost of a Prime membership.

Same-day delivery is available seven days a week in the following markets: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Dallas, Indianapolis, the Los Angeles metro area, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, the San Francisco Bay area, Seattle, Washington, DC, as well as San Diego and Tampa Bay.

In most of these areas, you also have access to tens of thousands items that are available for delivery in 2 hours which is pretty amazing.

Need it faster? You can pay $7.99 to have it delivered in one hour.

According to CNET, the items that Amazon is focusing on for Prime Now are items that “consumers tended to need more urgently, including HDMI cables, batteries, water filters, baby wipes, deodorant and last-minute travel items such as sunscreen and towels.”

To start using this Prime feature you can either use the Amazon website or download the free Amazon Prime Now app (free for iOS and Android).

8. Unlimited Photo Storage

Another Amazon Prime benefit is unlimited cloud storage with a service called Amazon Prime Photos.

This means you can start uploading your pictures straight to the Amazon cloud when your memory is close to full, or whenever you want for that matter. Great for vacations or when you run out of storage options.

When comparing to Google’s free storage option, Amazon Prime Photos lets you store unlimited RAW file formats for free, which Google does not. But…Google let’s you store unlimited 1080p video while Amazon limits you to 5GB.

If you’re interested in taking Amazon’s photo service for a test-drive you have 3 options:

1. Web: Sign-in to your Amazon account from your web browser to start adding your photos from any PC or Mac.
2. Mobile: Get the free mobile app to add photos from your iOS or Android device.
3. Desktop: Install the Cloud Drive application for PC and Mac to add photos from your computer. Download Here.

See Also: 4 Ways to Get Free Shipping at Amazon (Without Paying for Prime)

9. “Prime Only” Early Access Deals

Are you aware that Amazon owns a website called MyHabit.com which specializes in limited time discounts on apparel (for the entire family), shoes, jewelry, handbags, and home items? Yeah, me neither.

Talking really big discounts too, in the neighborhood of 60% off the original price.

You have to sign-in to this “members only” website with your Amazon account information to gain access to the deals.

BUT, if you’re a Prime member, you’ll get access to the deals 30 minutes earlier than everyone else.

This is a fairly significant thing as many of the really popular deals go quickly.

Unfortunately, you won’t get free 2-day shipping like you would on the Amazon website, but orders over $99 will ship for free via standard shipping.

10. Free Streaming Video

While probably the most popular side Amazon Prime benefit, I had my membership for over a year before I knew about the Prime Streaming option and it’s definitely worth using.

Thousands of TV shows and movies are available for viewing, at no extra cost, with new titles being added all the time.

You can instantly stream Prime Instant Video titles from your computer’s web browser, Fire phone, Fire TV, Fire Tablets, Apple devices, Android phones, Internet-connected TVs, Blu-ray players, and even gaming consoles.

The best way to view on Apple devices is to download the iOS app. If you’re an Android person, then download this app.

Try Prime For Free: Click Here to get a free 30-day trial and test out all of these Amazon Prime benefits for yourself.

By Kyle James