Online Store Returns

Online buying has increased exponentially, especially at the holidays. There is no doubt that the convenience of shopping in your pajamas is the primary reason for this increased popularity. Before you buy a product online, find out about store return policies. Remember you are not going to take the product back to a local store.

Store returns are pretty common, especially at Christmas time. If you are giving a gift either by shipment to the recipient direct from the online store or by having the product shipped to you for wrapping and then sending it to your family, you must consider the possibility that the recipient might need to return the product.  

If the product is shipped directly to your family, store return instructions will be included in the package. But do you understand those store return instructions? If you don’t, the gift you sent may engender consternation rather than joy. What if you got a gift and had to return it at your own cost? What if the online store allows store credit but not a refund your family can use to buy another product they might like better than the one you sent? What if the online store does not sell a variety of items so your family has very little choice as to how to use the store credit?

All of these concerns will affect your satisfaction with the online store and, more importantly, the satisfaction of your family member or friend.  

If you are buying from an online store that also has retail locations, check into the possibility of store returns and find out if the gift recipient can return the item to the retail store location and get a refund or a store credit. In that event, your family member will at least have the option of browsing items at the store and making a choice to replace the gift. Use the online store locator to find the retail outlet closest to your family and be sure the store is not too far away from where your family lives.  

You can shop online and be sure you are not creating a problem for your gift recipient. It takes a little research and if you don’t find the information you need in the store return policies posted on the online store site, you may have to contact the customer service function for the online store. But your research will pay off with peace of mind!