The warning from the World Trade Organization in Geneva early this week was unambiguous: A global economy split

High street fashion retailer H&M has joined other companies in charging shoppers who return items purchased online. Customers must now pay £1.99 to return parcels either in store or online, with the cost of the return being deducted from their refund. Rival high street stores including Zara, Boohoo, Uniqlo and Next already charge for online returns, with retail experts predicting that even more are likely to follow suit. During the pandemic, when online shopping inevitably soared in popularity, customers became increasingly more reliant on returning items when they did not fit. However, this also led to a rise in people buying items in bulk and returning almost all those items, some of them worn. While most online and high street retailers do not formally announce the move to charge for returns, many have introduced the change under the radar, with H&M implementing the return fee this summer. Business analysts have told the BBC that other retailers are likely to do the same. "It’s interesting that companies seem to be doing it by stealth, but it’s a sensible thing to be doing," retail expert Jonathan De Mello told the outlet. "It makes economic sense, as it discourages shoppers from bulk buying online products and then returning the majority of them. That’s been a real problem for companies." While H&M shoppers might be disappointed in the extra returns fee, added De Mello, most might understand why a company would need to make this decision, especially when it comes to the environment. Many shoppers are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of deliveries and returns, from courier vans to wasted packaging. Retail expert and analyst Natalie Berg wrote on Twitter/X that retailers have “created a monster” with free returns. “​​H&M charging for returns. Retailers have created a monster with free returns. It makes financial and environmental sense to put an end to this ‘buy to try’ mentality.” But Berg pointed out that customers who have signed up to H&M membership would be exempt from the extra fee for returning items. “This is actually a really delicate way to tier your customers,” Berg said of the membership scheme. “Slowly climb down from costly promises by limiting those benefits to loyalty members. Retailers have become too generous over the past decade. Save that generosity for your most valuable customers.” Read More Inside London’s first Vogue World: Thong leotards and Anna Wintour’s VIP assembly line Voguewashing London Fashion Week won’t pay the wages of Britain’s young fashion designers Bridesmaid who “didn’t love” her dress spends 35 years wearing it around the world Meghan Markle praised for mixing high-fashion with affordable pieces Vogue World wowed but won’t pay the wages of young fashion designers Ukrainian designers prove beauty can come from darkness at London Fashion Week

Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk admits that she has to block out the heartbreaking images of the war raging at home as she plots her way through the draw at Wimbledon because...

Since last November, a library at the University of Washington has featured a different kind of vending machine

Comedian Kevin Hart has been chosen to receive the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for lifetime achievement in American humor

By Tetsushi Kajimoto and Leika Kihara TOKYO Japanese consumers may finally be shedding their decades-old frugal mindset, spending

Bankers, money managers and other financial market participants are starting to loathe the label “ESG” — but they’re

The tacky way the couple celebrated their anniversary was perfectly up Pam Beesly's alley

Larry Webb told a reporter that 'I have dementia' and alleged that he was unaware of 'what happened' to the 10-year-old Natasha 'Alex' Carter

Find out which college football stars are making a case for the Heisman Trophy in our Week 12 power rankings.

Alec Bohm followed Bryson Stott’s two-out, game-tying RBI double to right field in the ninth inning with a game-winning RBI single, rallying the Philadelphia Phillies to a 4-3 win over AL-leading Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night

The Honda Pilot and Hyundai Palisade are midsize SUVs with three rows of seating and a reputation for comfort and value