The Best Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Holiday Returns

While the days starring up to Christmas are often spent frantically buying for the cleanable presents, the weeks pursuing the vacation typically impact stressing implicit acquisition returns. 

Whether you request to find a sweater successful a antithetic size oregon speech an appliance for store credit, dealing with vacation returns tin beryllium hard and stressful. 

Amy Brightfield, wellness and features manager astatine Better Homes & Gardens, joined TODAY Monday to stock her rundown of the champion tips for casual vacation returns. 

Here are six ways to marque your returns and exchanges spell smoothly and arsenic good arsenic immoderate important instrumentality deadlines for large retailers. 

1. Be prepared 

• Check policies
• Check deadlines

Brightfield’s archetypal extremity was to look up a store’s instrumentality argumentation earlier arriving to instrumentality oregon speech an item. 

She besides recommended calling lawsuit work beforehand if you don't person entree to a acquisition receipt. A lawsuit work typical whitethorn beryllium capable to look up the sanction of the idiosyncratic who sent the acquisition without a receipt.

If you hide everything else, conscionable retrieve that the astir important point you request to bring to a store is your ID. 

2. Check instrumentality deadlines

• Amazon: Jan. 31
• Macy’s: Jan. 31
• Best Buy: Jan. 16
• TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Homegoods: Jan. 25
• Kohl's: 180 Days 

Although astir retailers springiness customers until the extremity of January to bring backmost vacation gifts, Brightfield said it is champion to treble cheque the instrumentality deadline. While Amazon allows customers to hold until Jan. 31, Best Buy stops accepting returns aft Jan. 16.

Brightfield besides said to wage adjacent attraction to stores that supply a fig of days alternatively of a cut-off day for returns. 

“When you spot that fig of days you privation to cipher that due to the fact that sometimes it’s 60 days. And then, earlier you cognize it, that’s February,” she explained. “So, you privation to marque definite you cipher the extended clip due to the fact that it mightiness not beryllium arsenic agelong arsenic you think.”

3. Bring indispensable paperwork 

•  Receipt
•  Email 

• Order Number
•  Government ID

Brightfield continued to item the value of bringing a authorities ID to the store to assistance a lawsuit work rep hunt for the purchase. 

If you bought the point online and privation to instrumentality it successful person, marque definite to bring impervious of the email confirming the item’s accomplishment oregon purchase. 

4. Benefits of in-store returns 

• Immediate credit/refund
• No shipping/labels
• Find a replacement
• More flexible
• Curbside convenience 

Although immoderate shoppers whitethorn similar to vessel their returns oregon exchanges, Brightfield advised heading to the store to marque the transaction successful idiosyncratic if possible. It is particularly beneficial to speech to a existent person, arsenic opposed to an automated connection via telephone oregon email, if you bash not person immoderate documentation oregon a acquisition receipt. 

“A small charm goes a agelong mode and besides you get the instrumentality immediately,” Brightfield explained. She added that different payment to buying successful idiosyncratic is that you tin browse your speech possibilities. 

Brightfield besides suggested that shoppers who bash not consciousness comfy going into a store during the COVID-19 pandemic instrumentality vantage of curbside offerings.  

5. Benefits of online returns

•  One stop
•  Free shipping
•  But takes longer 

If you similar making each your returns and exchanges successful 1 stop, past you tin ever decorativeness your buying online. Be prepared to battalion everything up and bring it to the station bureau oregon a curbside pickup location. 

However, Brightfield reminded shoppers that online returns volition beryllium challenging without a receipt oregon documentation. So, if you don’t person a receipt, you whitethorn person to instrumentality that travel to the store.  

6. Tips for returning an online acquisition successful person

Some stores, specified arsenic J.Crew and Ann Taylor, let customers to bring their online purchases to the store. Shoppers tin get their refund oregon speech close distant without dealing with the hassle of shipping. 

To those who bash not consciousness comfy going to the store, Brightfield suggested participating successful a acquisition speech oregon donating the present. She said donating is simply a large thought this clip of year, particularly if you received coats oregon sweaters for the holidays. 

Brightfield besides mentioned messaging the Buy Nothing group on societal media. The project, which was created successful 2013, helps neighbors stock gifts with each other. 

There is 1 different fashionable option: regifting. “You tin regift them, but beryllium careful,” Brightfield said with a laugh. “You don’t privation to extremity up giving backmost the aforesaid acquisition that idiosyncratic gave you. Donating them is truly a large idea.”

This communicative archetypal appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

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