'Tis the season for many returns. Not that kind. The other kind. The kind that are only occasionally happy.
It's time once again to bag up all the "don't like, don't fit, I-got-three-of-these" gifts for the long road back to the store. Thursday generally was acknowledged to be the start of the biggest return period of the year, and for many, the beginning of a massive headache.
Gone are the days when merchandise can be exchanged for cash, no questions asked. Today, even with a store receipt, many stores have a deadline for returns. Without a receipt, most offer only exchanges or store credit.
Store policies on returns vary, but most retailers are battening the hatches to deter shoplifters and other schemers from taking advantage of the massive crowds and tons of merchandise changing hands.
"I think all retailers have started cracking down on returns," said Chris Gerritsen, an executive team leader at the Super Target in Centerville. "In the '80s and '90s, stores were pretty liberal. Our policy changed about a year ago. We're still fair, but it's not as liberal as it was."
Yes, it can be inconvenient keeping track of tiny slips of thin, curling paper, standing in lines, explaining that these pants pinch Johnny at the waist and this shirt is four sizes too big. But detailed return policies have proven effective in keeping grabby-handed thieves at bay, especially during the holiday shopping rush, Gerritsen said.
"We don't really see that problem," he said Thursday. "I have only been called to the service desk twice today, and it hasn't been about that."
Policies vary from store to store, from iron-clad to downright clement. For an example of the latter, see Nordstrom.
"We don't have one," company spokeswoman Kylie Allensworth replied when asked to outline Nordstrom's return policy. "We handle each return on a case-by-case basis. We empower our employees to exercise good judgment in each situation."
Allensworth declined to comment on if, or how often, the store's non-policy is abused.
"We feel that our customers are fair to us, and therefore, we're fair to them," she said. "It (fraudulent returns and shoplifting) is such a small percentage. It's just part of doing business. We just want to take care of our customers."
A note to future gift-givers: gift receipts are an easy solution to the quandary of including the purchase receipt along with the gift (and thereby exposing yourself as a cheapskate bargain-chaser), or leaving gift recipients to a bleak fate of wandering from store to store, trying to find someone who will exchange the gifts for something they actually like.
Meier & Frank spokeswoman Connie Robinson said that store's gift receipts detail purchase information (along with proof that the item was purchased at one of its stores) without revealing the price. During the winter holidays, Robinson said, store associates are trained to offer gift receipts on all purchases. At other times, customers may request them.
So go easy on your givee. If they've got a return, help make it a happy one.
E-MAIL: jnii@desnews.com