The cities where consumers are most likely to make returns are…
New analytical data reveals the "return capitals" of the U.S.
Alanta, Orlando, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, and Seattle are the five U.S. cities with shoppers most likely to make product returns as measured by return-related Internet search activity. Analysis from packaging solutions provider Shorr indicates that San Francisco, Miami, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Irvine, Calif. round out the top 10.
According to Shorr, cities like Atlanta and Miami are known for being fashion-forward and trend-conscious markets, where trying and returning products is often part of the shopping process, while Orlando and Las Vegas have high volumes of tourists who make and then regret spontaneous purchases.
In addition, return rates in cities like Minneapolis and Seattle with cold or damp weather rise in the winter months as online shopping becomes more prevalent.
[READ MORE: Returns are rising – here’s why]
The Shorr “2025-26 Consumer Report” also reveals that 36% of surveyed consumers return products to a physical location. Close behind are third-party drop-off locations (32%) and direct mail-back returns (29%).
Clothing is by far the most returned category, cited by two-thirds of respondents. Electronics (17%) and home goods (5%) trailed behind. The top reasons for returning products are items not fitting or being the wrong size (44%), followed by damaged products (31%), items that didn’t match the description (11%), and a change of mind (9%).
More than six-in-10 (62%) respondents report returning between one and five items per year, while nearly one in five respondents return between six and 10. The vast majority (86%) of respondents say free return shipping is non-negotiable, while 75% prefer a full refund over store credit and more than half (51%) do not want to pay restocking fees.
Other findings
- Many respondents favor flexible return options such as longer return windows (38%) to QR-code labels (34%) and packaging-free drop-offs (29%).
- Nearly seven-in-10 respondents (69%) admit to keeping an item they wanted to return because they felt like the return process was too much of a hassle.
- Nearly three-in-four (73%) respondents have returned an item because it was damaged during shipping, and one-in-four say this happens more often during the holidays.
- Four-in-10 respondents expect to return at least one item during the 2025 holiday season, with clothing accounting for 65% of holiday returns.
In November 2025, Shorr conducted a nationwide survey of 2,013 American consumers and analyzed Google search volume for hundreds of return-related keywords across major U.S. cities with populations of 300,000 or more.
