ATLANTA — Ahead of the busiest shopping week of the year, people are already marking their gift lists off early. But what does that mean for returning or exchanging gifts after the holidays are over?
Channel 2′s Kristen Holloway has been looking at ways people can protect their money this holiday season.
“I’ve seen a lot of stuff out of stock online especially, so I feel like this year is definitely the year to go in the stores,” shopper Hayley Toner said.
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It’s been a busy week for shoppers like Toner at Richard’s Variety Store in northeast Atlanta. Store associates said they started seeing people shop early for a while now.
“As soon as I think people learned about the supply chain issues, you’ve just seen people come and (spend) hundreds of dollars already this early on,” store associate Oscar Rhea said.
Channel 2 consumer adviser Clark Howard says while you shop this holiday season, don’t forget one key thing.
“Make sure you get a gift receipt, so the person has an easy time that they want to return it, refund or exchange,” he said.
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Holloway checked with some of the major retailers about returns and exchanges.
Best Buy is extending their returns and exchange period. If you buy something Oct. 18th through Jan. 2 next year, you have until Jan. 16 to return it. For both in store and online purchases, Target allows for a 90-day return or exchange and Walmart also offers a 90-day return or exchange.
At Richard’s Variety, Rhea said their return policy is just one week but they are flexible since they are a local business.
“The owner has taken on a case-by-case basis, which can we do as a small business,” Rhea said. “It’s hard right now and we get people that drive from other states to shop here.”
In the meantime, Howard says online shopping is still the wild west and it’s important to read return or exchange policies before you buy.
“I’ve had a number of complaints about Amazon’s clearance site called Woot. It allows no returns for any reason, even if they made a mistake. It’s all sales final.
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