It was still USSR in 1990 (and I wasn't born yet). They've allowed private businesses in the late 80s, but the country was still very much in the process of tra

It was still USSR in 1990 (and I wasn't born yet). They've allowed private businesses in the late 80s, but the country was still very much in the process of transitioning away from full socialism. It took many more years for international companies to establish presence and for local ones to form through privatization. There was no Ikea, but the first McDonalds opened in Moscow in 1990 and many minds were blown. So yes, these extended return policies are one of the things retailers use to compete.