I actually asked this question when I returned mine to Best Buy two evenings ago.
I was told that all returns are going back to manufacturer, because they were not sure how well the reset was deleting personal information.
Like I said, this is what I was told. I don't know if this is the common procedure with returns in other stores, or in fact with all Best Buy stores, for that matter.
definitely depends on the store i think. when i got my 16gb playbook with a dead pixel i noticed the seals we're broken and the cables had been rewrapped. you know how you can never get them wrapped the same way the factory does.
o well, took it back and got a 32gb. this one has the stiff power button, but i dont care about that
I read another thread started by a Best Buy employee saying that he was told RIM is going to be offering Best Buy employees a 50% discount beginning next month.
I guess we know what's going to happen to all the returned PlayBooks.