Gift returns not as easy this year. Beware!

[escape]

Here's a link to an interesting article about returning gifts this holiday season.

Quick & easy gift returns? Not this year

I don't know about you guys but I've known of people who 'buy' clothes to wear to a party, only to return the clothes at a future date. I never understood why these folks thought this was okay.

A co-worker of mine used to work for Wal-Mart years ago in the customer services department. I couldn't believe some of the items he said people tried to return. Some in particular, though not the strangest, involved people buying lawn mowers at the beginning of the summer season and returning them at the end...used...but claiming they just didn't work and Wal-mart, at the time, would take them back. Other incidents involved returning used underwear.

 

[Martha7]

I know a woman who actually got banned from shopping at Target, because she so abused the return policy!

 

[bicker]

Gotta love this line:

"Our research on holiday gift returns shows that it's only three percent of Americans who are real jerks and they indulge in consumer fraud and return abuse," said Britt Beemer, a retail industry observer and chairman of America's Research Group. "The rest of us have to deal with the consequences."

I don't buy into the "lower profits than in years past" argument for these policy changes. Rather, I suspect that we're seeing these changes because the value of effort to try to foster customer loyalty has dropped so low. Many customers are increasingly driven solely by who can save them a little cash, rather than who treats them well and establishes a relationship with them.

 

[clh2]

There are several reasons why I prefer to give GC's. The hassle of returns is one of them.

 

[C.Ann]

I don't know about you guys but I've known of people who 'buy' clothes to wear to a party, only to return the clothes at a future date. I never understood why these folks thought this was okay.

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Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy was notorious for this.. She would even return nail polish and lipstick after she had applied it.. I guess you can't blame her though - considering the Kennedy's were just barely "squeaking" by..

 

[Serena]

Do us all, you and salespeople, a favor by having all the tickets and receipts, and your drivers license. If you do all that, there is not likely to be a problem at all.

 

[LadyyRedd]

I have worked part time in retail for the last 10 years, most of that being with one of two MAJOR retailers, most of it also being at either the service desk where returns are done, or as a supervisor/manager at that retailer. The stories I could tell you about what people will do and try to get away with as far as returns would blow your mind!
Now, don't get me wrong, I have absolutely NO issue with people who return items legitimately according to return policies. If there's no time limit, and you bring back an item a year later, unused, tags on, with the receipt, I have no problems with that! As long as you are following policy legimately, that's fine!
It's the ones who try to get away with everything under the sun that burns me up.

Kimya

 

[bicker]

It's the ones who try to get away with everything under the sun that burns me up.

And it is those folks who are causing companies to change their policies, resulting in less generous and lenient return procedures for the rest of us.

 

[Disney Doll]

I once saw a guy return a dead Christams tree to Hoem depot & they took it back.

You could tell it was a Christmas tree, it was like April. He probably found it on the side of the road and brought it in.

I would worry too much about karma coming back to bite me on the butt if I did stuff like that.