Many Retailers Change Return Policies for the Holidays

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After spending hours searching for each of the holiday gifts for those on your list, you’d expect them to be the perfect fit — size or otherwise. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.

In fact, a recent survey by RetailMeNot indicates that 42 percent of consumers return some of the gifts they receive for the holidays.

This statistic warrants an understanding of the return policies of popular retailers — made complicated by the fact that many popular stores change their policies for the holiday season, some for better and some for worse.

“According to the National Retail Federation, 28 percent of stores surveyed change their return policies for the holidays, while 72 percent keep them the same,” says Consumer World.

Consumer World highlighted some of the most generous holiday return policies. Among them:

  • Best Buy has a holiday return deadline of Jan. 15 for items purchased after Nov. 2.
  • Toys R Us customers have until Jan. 25 to return most items purchased during the holiday season with the exception of electronics, which must be returned by Jan. 9.
  • Amazon has a deadline of Jan. 31 for most items shipped Nov. 1 through Dec. 31.
  • The 30-day return period for electronics at Target begins Dec. 26 for purchases made since Nov. 1.
  • Some stores, like Kohl’s, have no deadline.

It’s always better to be safe than sorry, so be sure to check your retailer’s website to learn about any changes it may have implemented for the holiday season. Don’t let your recipient be stuck with an unwanted gift.

What do you think about the return policy changes retailers make for the holidays? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook page.

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