Kohl's To Accept Amazon Returns Starting October

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Kohl's announced Tuesday that it will accept Amazon returns starting in October in a move the company touted as "unprecedented and innovative."

The partnership deal calls for the department store chain to accept return merchandise at 82 stores in Los Angeles and Chicago.

Kohl's will pack and ship the returned items back to the giant online retailer for free.

"This is a great example of how Kohl's and Amazon are leveraging each other's strengths – the power of Kohl's store portfolio and omnichannel capabilities combined with the power of Amazon's reach and loyal customer base," said Richard Schepp, Chief Administrative Officer.

Kohl's hopes the move will bring in more foot traffic to its stores to boost sales.

"Amazon Returns at Kohl's creates a convenient location for Amazon customers to return eligible Amazon.com merchandise," said Shivi Shankaran, Director of Worldwide Customer Returns at Amazon. "Teaming up with Kohl's provides an incredible opportunity to pair our world-class return experience with a great shopping experience, expanding our service options to our customers in the Los Angeles and Chicago areas."

Earlier this month, Kohl's announced it was selling the Alexa-enabled Echo smart speaker, Fire TV, tablets and other Amazon-branded devices in 10 of its stores.

The partnership came at a time when big-box stores have been struggling to keep up with today's rapidly changing retail landscape that has shifted toward online sales.

Toys 'R' Us is the latest victim as it filed for bankruptcy protection Monday.