Requires stores to publicly display their return and refund policies, including tracking of returns; establishes that failure to display provides buyer with automatic refund or credit.
Summary
This bill amends New York’s General Business Law to require retail mercantile establishments that use an electronic system to track the frequency or volume of a customer’s returns or exchanges to publicly disclose that practice. The notice could be posted on the item, at the register or point of sale, in a visible location near the register, or at each public entrance. The goal is to alert shoppers that their return behavior may be monitored before they make a purchase.
The bill also creates a remedy for noncompliance. If a store fails to provide the required notice, the buyer would be entitled, for up to 20 days after purchase, to a cash refund or store credit at the buyer’s option, so long as the merchandise has not been used or damaged. In addition, the store would face a civil penalty of $100 to $500 for each violation. The act would take effect 180 days after becoming law.
Impact
The bill would add a new section 218-b to the General Business Law and impose a disclosure requirement on retail stores that use electronic return-tracking systems. It would affect retailers that monitor customer return or exchange patterns and would create both a consumer remedy and an enforcement penalty for failing to disclose that tracking. The practical effect is to increase transparency around return policies and limit undisclosed surveillance-like tracking of customer purchasing behavior.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes, the measure appears to be framed as a consumer-protection bill with an emphasis on transparency and fairness to shoppers. Its structure suggests support for giving consumers notice and leverage when stores use return-monitoring systems. No contrary viewpoints are documented in the provided materials, so there is no recorded legislative controversy in the available context.
Contention
The main policy issue is whether retailers should be required to disclose electronic tracking of returns and whether failure to do so should trigger an automatic refund or credit right. Retailers may view the notice mandate and penalty provisions as burdensome or as exposing loss-prevention practices, while consumer advocates would likely support the disclosure and remedy as a way to prevent hidden tracking. Because there are no committee transcripts or votes provided, no specific legislator or stakeholder opposition is identified in the record here.
Same As
Requires stores to publicly display their return and refund policies, including tracking of returns; establishes that failure to display provides buyer with automatic refund or credit.