Maryland shoppers flood the malls for post-holiday gift returns

Maryland malls and stores were just crowded on Friday, as they were in the days leading up to Christmas, with shoppers returning unwanted gifts.

Mastercard reported that holiday spending was on the rise this year, with a 3.9% percent increase from last year. But now that the holiday is over, the stores are filling up.

"Probably making some rearrangements for some things we didn't get or maybe there was a mistake and we need to make some returns," shopper Nathan Cabrera said.

According to a report from the National Retail Federation, 15% of all sales this year will be returned, and the retailers need to find a way to stay afloat despite that.

"Luckily I haven't really had anything to return but that would not make me happy to have to pay a fee to return something," shopper Tessa Taulane said.

Stores and their return policies

Some stores, like H&M, J. Crew, and Zara, are charging return shipping fees to help pay for rising shipping costs. And other stores, especially those that sell electronics, are limiting their return windows, like Apple, Target, and Best Buy.

"Especially having a baby, he's only 18 months, it's hard for me to get out to the store, so I always really appreciate when they have longer return windows if I do need to return something," Taulane said.

While the idea may be for retailers to ease cost concerns, some shoppers think their policy changes could backfire.

"I think a restocking fee sucks," Cabrera said. "That's not something that you hear with retail and retail is already hurting right now, so I don't know why they would want to discourage customers even more about making purchases."

Customers say the return policy won't deter them from buying, but they may just pay closer attention to when and where they shop.

"I don't know if it's fair, but it is where it is. You shop where you can shop, you return where you can return," Taulane said.

"Maybe this is the new norm. And even if we don't like it, eventually we will stop whining about it and just go with the punches," Cabrera added.

Experts say if you're thinking about making a return, make sure packages are unopened and tags are still attached.

Also hold on to your receipts, and make sure to double check the return window to avoid getting stuck with unwanted items.