More Americans returning gifts to make ends meet

Reporter: Therese O'Shea
Published: Updated:

You may have emptied your pockets to buy gifts over the last few days, but more and more people are actually returning those gifts to make ends meet and put that money back in their wallets.

In fact, 77% of people plan to bring back at least some of those gifts, and one in five will likely return more than half of what they get, according to a survey of 2019 shopping trends by Oracle.

The survey found consumers are pickier and therefore are shopping at places with generous return policies. That way, they can safeguard their purchases.

And with more people shopping online, those stores usually have great return policies because you can’t test or try those items before purchasing.

However, online retailers’ return-by dates vary.

  • Amazon will accept returns through Jan. 31 for most items shipped between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31.
  • Best Buy will accept returns through Jan. 14 for items purchased between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31, excluding some electronics and major appliances.
  • Items purchased from Walmart between Oct. 24 and Dec. 25 with a 14-day return window may be returned until Jan. 10.
    • Items with a 30-day return window may be returned until Jan. 25.

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