I am going out there to brave the crowds, despite my aversion to throngs, I am hoping that things have quieted down a bit. I am more apt to brave the after Christmas sales because somehow it lacks that sense of urgency and desperation I feel in the air, right before the Holidays. People are hopefully in better moods after Christmas or perhaps more people are hung over and can’t make it to the shops. Either way the ambiance of frenzy definitely burns at a low simmer after New Years.
Anyhow if you know me at all, you know I’m big on the whole post exchange/return cycle. Chances are unless you picked up on one of about a million hints of what I specifically wanted for the Holidays, your gift is going back! Sorry but I am a particular type of gal and there is no way in hell I am hanging your plug-in, frozen waterfall portrait, even if the mythical fountain of youth streamed from its frozen facade. That’s just the way it is, don’t take it personal.
Consequently I have years of experience with the whole exchange/return game. My “RETURN” tales are the stuff of legend, I once returned a used DVD/VHS player! There was dust on the console and the cord was still warm with use but I convinced the manager that I needed to exchange it for a new model because this one no longer worked. I failed to mention that the poor thing was used within an inch of it’s life for the past 2 years!
So here are the “Need to Knows” of Returning & Exchanging:
Do it FAST, the sooner the better!
What I mean is, sure wait for the tension to die down after the Holidays, but don’t sit on your keister waiting for the sun to go up and down til’ February or mid-January even! Stores are getting much stricter with their return policies, obviously they want to retain their sales and could care less if you get stuck with a leg shaped lamp! Tighter return deadlines on holiday purchases mean that shoppers at some stores have just 14 to 30 days to return an item for its original price. Wait too long, and an item that may originally been purchased for 30 bucks may now be on sale for $9.99 and that is what you will get if you don’t have a receipt.
Which brings me to necessity #2: RECEIPTS, RECEIPTS, RECEIPTS..
Because I myself suffer from “return-itis” I am big on “gift receipts”. Having a receipt for merchandise during the Holidays takes all the stress and hardship out of returning. Even when confronted with a snotty, power mad, 18 year old retail peddler - with receipt in hand you can quickly bypass he/she and go straight to management. Also known as 20 something, snotty retail peddler. Ha!
If your gift is being bought from a merchant that does not offer gift receipts, you may want to re-think that gift. Chances are they will make it hell for your family or friend to return the item. Unless you enjoy giving your pals tension and heart smashing rejection for Christmas?
Be Flexible…and BE NICE!!
This is pivotal. I may have mocked said power-mad-18-year-old-retail-peddler, but as much as they infuriate you with their vacant “I can’t help you” eyes, BE NICE!! Nine times out of ten they have the power to return your merchandise with minimal fuss. Get on their bad side and you’re in for a fight, especially if your receipt-less.
Personal Note: Avoid peak shopping hours so employees are less frazzled and more willing to work with you. If you hit a brick wall of resentment, try a different branch. And here is the advice some people may not agree with, but personally I choose male, hetero-cashiers, whenever possible. Now given it’s retail, so its like finding a straight guy at a Madonna concert, but if you see one take him! They tend to care less and just do the return exchange with bare minimum of fuss. Women and fashionable males tend to take a vested personal interest in merchandise returns, and can get kinda snotty if you catch them at the wrong moment.
Donate it! Re-gift it!
Ok, I know it sounds harsh but if you failed at returning it, save it and give it to someone who will appreciate it. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure right? Or if you need a shot of heaven juice donate it to your favorite charity. Donating it to a charity not only earns karma points, but your good deed may get you a deduction on next year’s tax return.
If all else fails, SELL IT on Ebay or better yet, Craigslist!
EBAY, Amazon’s Marketplace, and Half.com (owned by eBay) let you hold a garage sale in any weather. If you don’t want to give these folks a cut for providing a selling platform, head to Craigslist.com, an online version of the local Town Crier that offers free listings and person-to-person transactions.
Well there you have it, that should offer you some options on what to do with your lovely albeit unwanted gifts. Maybe next time around, do a better job at hinting to that “giver” what you really want for Christmas, and heck if you know they can’t pick up a hint, just flat out say it! Save them and yourself the trouble.
Good Luck!
So you can imagine why I was inspired to draft a post about the marvel that is chopsticks! They are available in assorted styles, designs, textures and sizes. The beauty of this trip is I have learned that levels of chopstick skills range from expert (eating slippery peanuts and assorted tiny morsels of food) to novice (huge chunks of food being dropped or flung across the table).
Before you let your friends and family run amuck in your home for the Holidays, you must read this 
