Tips on post-holiday shopping returns

December 30, 2015

I bet by now your are already going through some of the gifts you and your family have received.   Some gifts might be duplicates and others you just feel were not for you.  Well, there is no need to sit with a few duplicates or those unwanted gifts. So keep on reading and I will guide you to a few easy steps in the returning process.

Step 1:
Sort out all your gifts and separate the gifts you like and the ones you want to return.  If you have a gift receipt that will be helpful, so tape it on the box or slip it in a bag along with the gift.  If you don’t have a gift receipt, no worries, some retailers will extend their return policies in which you don’t need a receipt.

Step 2:
If your planning on making returns with kids, try to bring an item that they like to play with or a snack.  This will keep them busy just in case there is a line. Believe me there usually is a line, or that one person who holds up everything.

Step 3:
No one wants to wait in a long line to make a return. So the early the better. Prepare to wake up early in the morning and have your items ready by the door to place in the car.  This way you know that everything is in order, and you won’t need to make a second trip.  You will probably get a gift card from the store, so you need to make sure you place it in a safe place.

Step 4:
Make it a fun and stress free time.  Feel the same way you felt when you were going to the store and buying a gift for that special person in your life.  Be prepared that sometimes things might not work out as you planned.   For example: my husband decided to take my son to Target to make a return of a duplicate gift my son received.  It went smoothly but after he made it home, he lost the gift card.  By thinking really quickly, he ended up calling Target customer service and they told him to come back to the store he made the return at and they will take care of it.  All they did is void the original gift card and issued him a brand new one.  To avoid the same situation from happening again, my husband decided to just go ahead and get my son another present he wanted that wasn’t a duplicate.  Now, everything was finished and done.  Just like I said, even if you plan for everything to go smoothly sometimes it might not.  So be prepared for everything.

wait2Now, if you do decide that you do not want to return the unwanted gifts, I have a few alternative ideas:

  • You can donate them by taking it to your local charity shop, church, Salvation Army, or which ever place you want to give your gifts too.
  • You can also try to re-gift it.  Someone else might like it, and hey you did something great!
  • Believe me sometimes you will find a gift that even though you have a duplicate or it is just not for you, you don’t want to give it away.  Well, you can always be creative and make something unique out of the gift.  Let’s just say you receive tea cups, you can easily plant some  herb seeds in them and place them on the kitchen counter.  That’s how you turn it around and make it a wonderful gift for yourself.

I hope you enjoy my steps in post-holiday shopping returns and more.  Do let me know how yours went?  Enjoy!

Sincerely,

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  • Heather Webster February 11, 2016 at 4:46 pm

    What an insane line. Your post is so true. No matter what, we always end up with a gift the wrong size or for some other reason needs to be returned. I was cleaning out my daughter’s closet last weekend and found something we still need to return – ugh. I definitely agree that without kids makes it – MUCH easier! Hope all of your returns went smoothly this year!