Philadelphia-area shoppers get a head start on "Return-uary," returning and exchanging holiday gifts
The post-Christmas return rush is underway. King of Prussia and Cherry Hill malls as well as shopping centers around the Philadelphia region were packed Friday as shoppers exchanged gifts that didn't quite hit the mark.
Many shoppers are exchanging gifts that were the wrong size, wrong color or simply not what they expected.
The National Retail Federation estimates 15.8% of annual sales, totaling $849.9 billion, will be returned this year. An estimated 19.3% of online sales will be returned in 2025.
Temple University associate marketing professor Sheri Lambert, an expert in consumer buying behavior, said wrong-size clothing is among the most commonly returned gifts.
"There's not a way around it unless you are actually shopping with the individual and you know specifically what they want, and/or they've given you a link," Lambert said.
Lambert recommends shoppers be prepared by keeping receipts and original packaging. Some stores even charge restocking fees or require payment for return shipping, so knowing the rules ahead of time can save time and frustration.
"Everyone makes returns," Nick DiGregory from Aston said. "It all depends when you go and when you do it in terms of how long you have to wait. I've done it. Sometimes it's been successful and easy. Other times it's a pain in the neck."
Economists said January is actually the biggest month for returns, so much so, they call it Return-uary.
Anthony Atkinson from West Palm Beach, Florida, gave his girlfriend a water bottle, but she said it was too small. He went to Target in Concord Township, Delaware County, to exchange it for a larger size.
"It's probably going to be a nice long line that we're going to sit there and wait in, but hopefully it'll move smoothly," Atkinson said.
Becky Robert from Glen Mills and her daughter are also planning to make a post-Christmas return.
"We have an odd one," Robert said. "We got daddy the wrong deodorant to stuff his stocking. So we're going to go get the right product. We got a fun new scent from Old Spice and he told us, 'Nope, 'I sweat too much. I need this particular kind.'"