Return season starts as shoppers exchange holiday gifts
ARDMORE, Pa. (CBS) -- Now that the gifts have been unwrapped, some of them are going back to the store. Return season has begun.
Whether it's the wrong fit or the wrong feel, shoppers are already filling Suburban Square and searching through racks of clothing a day after Christmas to return or exchange unwanted holiday gifts.
"Unfortunately, it was too small for me," Tom Riley said.
"My sister bought me a Madewell sweater I've never shopped there before," Piper Taylor said. "It was a bit itchy, so I wanted to return it. I found this nice black one and bought that instead."
From Madewell to the Philly-based athletic clothing brand Addison Bay, each store is hoping customers pay close attention to their return policies.
"We have a return policy so up to 30 days," Addison Bay store manager Paige Grimaldi said. "But if you purchase anything before November first up till Christmas, you have until January 15."
The National Retail Federation in 2022 expected $212 billion worth of online returns and $603 billion in in-store returns.
"For the most part, we've been doing a pretty great job with returns and exchanging," Grimaldi said. So, if anything it's mainly just for sizing."
Over at the clothing store, the Faherty Brand, customer Tom Riley was able to get in and out quickly with the size he needed.
"It's simple. Everything is technology," Riley said. "You don't even have to pull out money or cards these days. Everything is kind of sent electronically so it was a simple process."
To keep the process simple, shoppers like Riley suggest heading out early to make any returns.
"It's not as crowded," Riley said. It's less crowded than I thought it was going to be."
