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Retailers keeping tabs on consumers’ return habits

By Jennifer Kerr
Published August 12, 2013 7:26am ET
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Retailers keeping tabs on consumers’ return habits
Mari Torres, 39, poses for a picture in her office in Springfield, Va., Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013. Each year, consumers return about $264 billion worth of merchandise, almost nine percent of total sales, according to industry estimates, but many people are not aware that some of their returns are being monitored at stores that outsource information on shoppers who return merchandise to a third-party company. “I had absolutely no idea they were doing that,” said Torres. "I honestly think it’s an invasion of privacy,” she says. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) | Manuel Balce Ceneta

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s not just the government that might be keeping tabs on you. Many retailers are tracking you, too — or at least your merchandise returns.

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