by Geoff Fox
With the Christmas rush over and all the presents have been given and opened, there might be a few of those gifts that have to go back to the store.
The pants might be too small. A toy is missing pieces. The shirt might not be the right character or team. The piece of jewelry isn’t your style.
If you don’t intend to keep those items, there are options out there for you.
Like I did with Black Friday, I’m here to help you get through that return/exchange process without any hassle.
I’ve done 19 years handling Christmas returns and regular returns throughout the year, so this could be beneficial.
First, look to see if there’s a receipt or gift receipt with the item. This one piece of paper can make the difference between a good experience and a bad experience.
One thing people hate doing is asking for a receipt for a present as it tells the gift giver you didn’t like their present. But, be honest about why you need it.
Let Grandma know the sweater she got Junior was just a bit too small and you need to get a larger size so he can enjoy the sweater longer.
Small tip if you have the receipt… write the name of the person you gave the gift to and what it is on the receipt. Also, keep the receipts in a small bag or sandwich bag so they’ll be readily available. 
If there’s no receipt, you could end up getting just store credit and a reduced return amount.
Something to keep in mind if you want to return something to a brick and mortar store is who carries what brands.
There have been Christmas returns where someone would bring in a St. John’s Bay shirt and want to return it saying “They said they got it at This Store.”
If the gift giver says they got it at a certain store, and it’s not a brand you’re familiar with, call that store and ask if they carry the brand of shirt you’re returning or exchanging.
By calling ahead, or even looking online, you can avoid standing in long lines and possible embarrassment once you get to the store.
And that brings me to the next point… long lines.
The first couple days after Christmas are going to see longer lines waiting at the return desk. And yes, those lines will be long.
Just be patient and wait your turn. You’ll make it better for yourself, the people around you, and the employees at the store.
It’s going to be hectic for the people behind the counter as they’ll have had a lot of people returning a lot of stuff before you ever stepped foot in the building, so they might be a little tired.
That said, they’ll try their best to get you in and out as quick as they possibly can.
If you have the receipt, or if you personally bought the item and used one, your credit card, ready before you get to the counter.
Trust me, it makes everything move a lot quicker so you’re not digging in your bag looking for the receipt or card when you get to the counter.
The register can pull the information from your receipt and card, so whatever comes up on the screen is what you paid.
Keep in mind, it shows you the total after discounts, so what comes up on the computer is what you or someone paid for the item.
It’s not the person or company trying to give you less on the return.
Also, wait until you are called up to the register. The person in front of you might be finished, but the person behind the counter may not be actually ready for the next person in line.
When you get to the counter, don’t just shove the receipt and/or item your returning at the person at the counter.
It’s rude, but it also doesn’t help move things along as quickly as you think.
What does help and move things along is if you get the item(s) you’re returning out of the bag or box you brought it in.
Make sure when you do the return with the receipt you let the person at the counter know if it was a gift.
If it was a gift and the person used a credit card, the return could end up back on that person’s card and you wouldn’t be able to spend it on something you want.
To find out what the return policy would be, always check the store’s website before you go.
These are just a few tips from someone who has handled thousands (millions?) of returns in 19 years in retail.
