NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Many of us are busy shopping for the perfect holiday gifts. But what happens if what you give or get, isn’t quite right?
Luckily, Consumer Reports has tips to navigate those post-holiday returns, refunds and exchanges!
To save your loved one’s time and future frustration it is important to check the return policy before you buy!
“Every retailer has their own policy, but many extend the window through the end of January, effectively giving recipients a month to return or exchange once
they've gotten their gift,” said Consumer Reports' Samantha Gordon.
Walmart is allowing most items purchased between October 1st and December 31st to be returned until January 31st.
Over at Target, you’ll have through January 24th to return electronics and entertainment items.
At Best Buy, make sure your returns are processed by January 13th. Holiday gifts purchased from Amazon will need to be returned by January 31st.
A few more tips?
“If you’re not sure you’ll keep a gift, – don’t remove tags or rip the box! You might incur a restocking fee, which could be up to 15-percent of what you paid, if
the packaging isn’t intact – that’s especially common for electronics," Gordan added.
And for items purchased online, some stores allow you to make your return in-person at their physical store, you can avoid shipping and restocking fees by doing
this.
Don’t lose that gift receipt! Of course, if you don't have one, you can still ask for a refund, or even store credit.
If you receive a gift card - don’t be naughty and never use it! Every year, millions of dollars in gift cards go unused! By law, gift cards cannot expire for at least five
years from activation!
And if you know you won't use it, re-gift it or give it to someone who will or even donate it to a charity!
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
