How to put the happy in many happy returns

The National Retail Federation reports that 10% of the year’s merchandise returns takes place during the holidays. This is a good time to review the dos and don’ts of gift returning. Here are some tips from the Better Business Bureau to make your gift-return process go smoothly.

The do list

These suggestions can speed things along when you trek to the returns counter:

▪  Familiarize yourself with the retailer’s returns policy. Look online if possible to see the specifics, or give them a call and ask. Store policies can vary widely and they may have rules regarding items that were purchased on sale. The National Retail Federation says that nearly 25% of retailers change return policies during the holiday season.

▪  Some retailers have a restocking fee charged on large items or on electronics.

▪  Check with online retailers about refunding shipping fees. If they do not and there is a local store for that business, consider taking the item to the store to return it.

▪  Save any paper receipts for items purchased or when given to you. If you’re giving the item to someone, get a gift receipt for them. This can greatly speed up the returning process.

▪  Keep the item in the original packaging if you have it.

▪  Some items may only be returnable to the original manufacturer.

The don’t list

There are things you should not do as well. Among them:

▪  Don’t wait too long to make the return. Many retailers only allow returns within a specific window of time. It’s a good idea to make the return as soon as you possibly can. That way you also avoid the risk of simply forgetting about it until it’s too late.

▪  Don’t make your trip to return an item during the busier times of day. Harried store employees trying to cope with multiple customer problems can make the transaction a bit more stressful.

▪  Don’t assume all employees are familiar with the specifics of the store’s policy. Some may be temporary holiday hires who aren’t as knowledgeable as others.

▪  Don’t remove tags from items like clothing if there is a chance you will need to return them. The more of the original store tags with bar codes on them, the better.

▪  Don’t expect all stores to accept items without a receipt. Some may only give store credit or even only allow an exchange for a similar item.

▪  Don’t be surprised if asked to show some form of identification. Stores lose a great deal of money to people who try to return stolen merchandise.

▪  Don’t open the packaging if you think you may want to return the item. This is especially true with electronics.

Finally, there are two important points to remember.

Be polite to store workers. A smile and a bit of patience can go a long ways toward smoothing out the return process.

Think about re-gifting. Perhaps the item can be given to someone else in the future.

This story was originally published December 21, 2017 at 11:45 AM with the headline "How to put the happy in many happy returns."