They could also not solve the problem. If someone isn't going to buy a lot more from you, doesn't talk to people who will buy a lot from you, and are unlikely to go to small claims court why give them an RMA? If some of your merchandise was damaged in the warehouse, why not bin that for people who have less recourse according to your market research?

In the distant past an unethical person running a store could do those types of things to people from a family that was usually picked on in a small town or to people whose ethnicity or race meant that they wouldn't be believed if they reported that a store was acting in bad faith or not honoring their terms.

I agree with you that it is a terrible thing to do, though I think it is more of a return to the old normal compared to recent past, rather than something entirely new.