Americans Gift Socks To Landfills, Boosting Economy By $1 Trillion
KEY POINTS
- •Adobe Analytics reported a 25–35% spike in returns starting December 26 during the yearly 'Returnuary' surge.
- •Returns platform Seel estimated up to $1 trillion worth of merchandise will be returned in 2025, including many items under $200.
- •REBEL's CEO Emily Hosie warned that most returned items are never restocked, dumping 8.4 billion pounds of wasted goods yearly.
Forget decorations — the true holiday spirit is in lugging sweaters, socks (yes, socks again), and mismatched electronics back to stores in the post-Christmas blitz aptly dubbed 'Returnuary.' According to Adobe Analytics, returns jump 25-35% just after December 26, fueling a trillion-dollar retail boomerang by 2025, courtesy of Seel’s data. Meanwhile, 8.4 billion pounds of unwanted gifts, including hats and defective gadgets, are ghosting store shelves to landfill graves, lamented REBEL CEO Emily Hosie. AI guru Bobby Ghoshal warned size flubs spark mall pilgrimages burdensome enough to shame any daughter-in-law. Still, beauty and toys stay chill — proving rushed gifting's real victims are sweaters and socks.
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Christmas: the sacred tradition of buying socks nobody wants and shipping a trillion dollars in waste straight to the landfill. Returnuary is like a retail apocalypse, but with more sweater regret and less dignity.
Nothing says holiday love like forcing your daughter-in-law on an epic sweatshirt exchange quest with three kids in tow. Thanks, retail for Returnuary.
Post-holiday returns spike 35% because who needs thoughtful gifts when you can unwrap mistakes and immediately regret your life choices? Socks, again.
Source: Axios | Published: 12/25/2025 | Author: Kelly Tyko
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