IMO, that&#x27;s not a valid reason to return something, but it&#x27;s just the tip of the iceberg on REI returns.<p>There&#x27;s an outdoors forum I read, and one of the members there works part time for the REI in Boulder, and he&#x27;s mentioned on several occasions that many people take advantage of the return policy in ways that nobody would find reasonable.  He claims to have seen people return several year old hiking boots, worn out and falling apart, then walk into the store and buy a similar pair.<p>I suspect it was a small group of people who were taking advantage of it to that extreme, but they probably ruined it for everybody.