Patent ID: 7311253

Claim:
A method for deterring fraudulent retail merchandise returns and refunds, comprising: a. placement, by a retail sales associate, of a tag containing a means for attaching said tag to each retail item sold in a discreet location on said retail item, after payment of said retail item has been received; b. application of a unique label to a front side of the tag, said label containing coded data identifying the location of the purchase, the date of the purchase, and the type of purchase; c. maintenance of a warning message and an identifying trademark on a backside of said tag; d. daily production of said tag for attachment to retail items sold per workday; e. daily production of said unique label used for attachment to retail items sold per workday; f. assessment of all unused tags by the retailer at the end of each workday for reconciliation with the day's purchases; g. advisement to retail customers by said sales associate of the location of said tag and/or label and the retail outlet's return policy at checkout; and h. referral to said coded data portion of label by the retail sales associate at the time a customer attempts to return a given item of merchandise for determination of whether or not the item is eligible for a refund or return based on said coded data.