Returns used to be the part of the business nobody wanted to talk about. A damaged box shoved into a back warehouse corner, a customer service rep apologizing on the phone, a spreadsheet nobody updated for weeks. Fast forward to 2026, and that quiet, neglected corner of operations has turned into one of the most closely watched line items on a company's balance sheet.Why the sudden attention? Online shopping habits never really slowed down after the pandemic years, and with them came return rate...