Returning Gifts After Christmas
Tips on Taking Those Unwanted Holiday Presents Back to the Store
Got a gift without a receipt? Don't know if you can exchange something or get your money back? How to tackle returns on December 26th.
Sweater too small, wrong color, or just plain ugly? But don’t know how to unload it? Even if you don’t have a gift receipt, as long as the store tag is still visible, you can take it back. Every store has a different policy, but most will give you your money back as long as the bar code is still attached to the item. You just may not get the original price. If the item went on sale since it was purchased and you don’t have a receipt, you’ll receive credit for the sale price.
How to navigate returns on the day after Christmas:
- Arrive early. If you decide you’re better off exchanging the item, then you need to be first in line at the store. Because everyone else has the same idea. You don’t want to settle for slim pickings after the morning rush is over. If the store opens at 8 a.m. arrive at 7:30. Think of the day after Christmas as Black Friday in reverse. The day after Thanksgiving, everyone was buying. Now they’re all returning.
- Arm yourself with paperwork. Even if you don’t have a receipt, bring coupons, store ads, anything that will help you get a deal on exchanges. Say you’re returning an item that is less expensive than the one you want to exchange it for. Coupons could make up the difference. And retailers will try to entice you to buy since you’re already in the store. As a result, the mark-downs are likely to be substantial.
- Last chance for retailers. If the stores didn’t sell enough between Thanksgiving and Christmas now is their time to recoup lost sales. Don’t use this as an opportunity to buy what you don’t need, but if you had your eye on those designer sunglasses, now may be the time to pounce if they’re on sale.
- Ask for gift receipts. Don’t be afraid to approach a friend or relative for a receipt. Even if it wasn’t included with the gift, sometimes people hold on to them anyway. Remember the person who gave you the gift wants you to be happy with it.
- Leave the house with a full tank of gas. Lines getting in and out of the mall parking lot are long. You might find yourself waiting for an hour or more.
- Stock up on gift wrap and other Christmas items. Even if sleigh bells are the farthest things from your mind, you’ll get the best prices on holiday items the day after Christmas.
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The copyright of the article Returning Gifts After Christmas in Consumer Education is owned by L. Marie Dubuque. Permission to republish Returning Gifts After Christmas in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
