B&N and Returns

Barnes and Noble changed it's return policy a while back so that consumers need to return books within two weeks instead of the traditional 6 weeks. I remember when a B&N clerk first told me this; my reaction--out loud--was "it's about time."

Returns have always crippled publishing, and now B&N seems to be ready to change this, as per Publisher's Weekly article:

(Jim Milliot -- Publishers Weekly, 5/22/2008 8:24:00 AM)

In Barnes & Noble’s first quarter conference call, CEO Steve Riggio gave his firm backing to looking for ways to end the traditional returns practice and predicted that it could be possible to find a solution “in a year or two.” Riggio said B&N has always been open to finding alternate ways to deal with unsold books, calling the current practice “insane” and “expensive.” Changing the returns policy would lower costs for both publishers and B&N, Riggio said. He speculated that the given the current environment, publishers might be more receptive to seriously looking to change the returns model.