By Teresa McUsic

Returning your holiday gifts is harder than ever, so following retailers’ rules is a must.

Tags off of clothing and factory-sealed packaging off of electronics and appliances may mean that you are stuck with the item for good or returning the item with a 15 percent cut out of the refund for “restocking.”

And if you end up with taking back too many items at some stores, you may be shown the door without any refund at all.

Add to that the fact that most stores have a unique return date deadline—often different dates for different items—and consumers are facing a complex and frustrating experience.

“It’s certainly not getting any easier to navigate,” said Edgar Dworsky, founder of a leading consumer resource guide website at ConsumerWorld.org. “At Amazon every product category has its own return policy. There’s no rule of thumb you can use anywhere.”

Americans are big on returns, despite the hassles. Close to 40 percent of consumers will return at least some portion of their gifts this holiday season, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation.

More than a third of those surveyed recently by Consumer Reports said they will be returning items between Christmas and New Years, up from 21 percent who said they did so last year.

Dworsky said going the day after Christmas is not a good plan.

“Use that day for after Christmas deals and wait a few days before you line up to return something,” he said. “Store personnel will be swamped with returns on Dec. 26. If you go later you have a better chance of catching them having a better day.”

Not that store workers usually have much lee-way in whether items are accepted or not. Most stores have written policies outlining when items may be returned, whether receipts are necessary, if packaging and tags must be intact and if the person returning the item doesn’t overuse the system.

Key to most returns is having the store receipt, and consumers are catching on to this necessary piece of paper. Close to 60 percent of holiday givers enclose either a gift receipt or an original receipt with a gift, up from half of consumers in 2005, according to the NRF.

Even with the receipt, some stores will deny you returns if you do it too often. Express, Sports Authority, The Limited, KB Toys and some Staples stores use a computer database to track customer returns run by The Return Exchange in Irvine, Calif., Dworsky said. Other stores like Kmart, Lowes, Barnes & Noble, Wal-Mart and Home Depot reportedly use their own tracking system.

New signs by Express and The Limited warned shoppers not to return more than five items within 90 days even with a receipt or up to $300 without a receipt, Dworsky said.
Here are some other changes consumer advocates uncovered this year:

• Costco had an open-ended policy except for computers. Now the retailer has added a 90-day deadline for TVs, cameras, computers and other electronics.

• Best Buy’s 14-day return policy has been extended during the holidays and now goes until Jan. 31 for all goods.

• Target now allows for two returns a year of items less than $20 if you don’t have your receipt (and it can’t be searched for via its credit card database.) Before, the threshold was $100.

Another problem with returns is that most people don’t read the policy before they buy. A new survey by the Better Business Bureau reported that nearly 30 percent of adult shoppers don’t carefully read return and exchange policies when they shop.

Dworsky said that the easiest place to return is full-service department stores like Nordstrom’s and Neiman Marcus which don’t have return deadlines.

“They bend over backwards for their customers,” he said.

Don’t expect that kind of treatment from most other retailers, however. And be careful when you open those presents.

How to Return Gifts Successfully

1. Attach sales receipt and tags to gift when giving.
   
   
2. Return gift unopened in original packing material with sales receipt.
   
   
3. Returns without a receipt may not be accepted, receive only in-store credit or be sold at lowest price of item in the past 30 days.
   
   
4. If item is defective, most retailers will repair, replace or refund the item.
   
   
5. Know the return policy when you shop and before you try to return so you know the deadlines, receipt and tag requirements and restocking fees that may apply. Most return policies are either posted at the check-out of the store or can be found at the retailer’s website.
   
   
6. If you are returning online, check the retailer’s policy. Some merchants will pay for delivery charges for exchanges, but no returns. Some retailers will allow returns at a brick and mortar store for online purchases.
   
   
7. Consumers who have a problem returning an item should talk to the store manager or the customer service department. If the customer is still not satisfied, consider filing a complaint with the state Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division online at www.oag.state.tx.us or at its hotline at 800.252.8011.