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Shopping Gift Returns of the Season... Returning or Exchanging Holiday Gifts The
gifts are all opened, each one was perfect and you made sure that the generosity of your friends and loved ones was rewarded by your appreciation when you opened their surprises.
Now that the relatives and special guests have gone home... What do you do with the gold lame sweater two sizes too small, the Laurence Welk DVD and the other
collection of things you really NEVER would have bought for yourself? Welcome
to the world of gift returns... according to the Direct Marketing Association you're in good company, 65% of the population returns gifts after the holiday. There are two components to gift returning... the physical act of returning the gift
and the social etiquette problems that returning a gift brings up.
First, the practical aspects of returning something that you didn't buy - and are not really sure where it was purchased. Did they buy it online or at a mall? You have no receipt and no idea who sells the item. Not an easy return. The
first part of gift returning calls for some detective work. Check the item first.
There may be a store label that will solve your problem.
If you can't find any
indication of where it was purchased, time to head for the Internet. Just do a
search for the gift and find out who carries it. If you're in luck, one of the
stores that will exchange any item they carry sells your gift and you should be
able to return it or at least exchange it for another item.
Some
stores do not have a refund policy. If your gift was purchased at one of them
- it's yours. Amazon
& Toys"R" Us online will only refund gift items that were purchased
through their online order forms. Target
online will accept items for return only if you know the order number. If
you don't have the information that you need, you may be able to solve the problem
by sending an email to the store. Many online stores will take back the gift in
an effort to promote good relationships with their customers...but you'll probably
receive store credit instead of a refund and the price will be based on the current
price. Since many items go on sale for deep discounts after the holiday, you may
not get back credit for the full amount that was paid... don't assume that Aunt
Sally gave you a cheap gift! You
can also make a trip to the store where you can speak to a real person about the
return. If you decide to do that, remember that 65% of the population who are
returning gifts will be standing on line with you. Patience is required. The clerk
at the end of the lines is doing everything possible to get you through the process
as quickly as possible. It's really in their best interest to get rid of you as
fast as they can. The clerks do not set store policy and cannot change it. Yelling
at this point really does not solve any problems and it probably won't make you
feel any better.
Don't
wait too long to return your gifts. Most stores that will accept returns have
a short window for you to act... |
Don't
wait too long to return your gifts. Most stores that will accept returns have
a short window for you to act. Some are as short as a week to ten days and others
will give you 30 days. You need to check the return policy for each store to make
sure you do everything you need to in the time frame allowed. There
is a charge called a "restocking fee" - at some stores this fee is as
high as 20% of the original cost of the gift. When you're returning electronics
and other expensive items, this can be a substantial amount. It's not only legal,
it's normal. Again, yelling at the clerk will not change the rules. Make
sure the store realizes that the item being returned is a gift. It would be a
bit embarrassing if the credit showed up on the gift giver's credit card and you
had to explain why you didn't like the gift! Returning
your gift is actually the easy part. Coming up with reasonable answers when you
are asked about the gift is a bit more difficult. You can always say that the
sweater was beautiful, but it was just a bit to small. Thank your friend for the
complement - it means you look much slimmer than you are! You can always opt for
honesty and avoid another gold lame sweater next year... but phrase it so that
you don't insult anyone's fashion sense! Keep
in mind that no matter how horrendous the gift you received seemed to you...it
was purchased with caring thoughts of pleasing you. The person who is a gracious
gift receiver is a wonderful person to give to...and eventually you will get something
that you really do want. If you tend to get a lot of gifts that make you ask,
"What were they thinking??" - you may need to develop your hinting
skills a bit. If you learn to let people know what you like and want, you make
it much easier for them to pick gifts that won't need to be returned!
More about returning gifts around the Web:
Returning
Gifts Pain-Free
Tips on Returning Gifts - Hassle Free
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