Stores brace for post-Christmas returns

By CHARLES W. JOHNSON / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

JC Penney employee Abe Lewis cheerfully makes exchanges for customers Tina Dishman, left, and Clarence Moore, who braved some fairly short return lines at the local department store at Three Star Mall. (Charles W. Johnson photo)

Local department store chains say sales were good this holiday season, but returns have been at a minimum, perhaps indicating shoppers are making more informed choices these days, or maybe just because an increasing number are choosing to give gift certificates rather than taking a chance on an ill-chosen gift.

JC Penney manager Jamie Dowdy said yesterday that so far, returns had been down some this year at his store.

“It doesn’t seem like it’s been too bad,” he said. “You know, with the gift cards, which a lot of department stores do now, and, I don’t know, it seems like the customers are doing a better job of picking out what they need for Christmas, so it hasn’t been really too bad at all.

“This morning I thought they’d be heavy, but they weren’t,” he said. “It’s just been steady all day.”

Dowdy said business had been good locally, in spite of the perception of a slow economy.

“We’ve had a good Christmas,” he said, “and so far, it’s been a good day after Christmas too.”

Mitzi Clark of Goody’s said that store really hadn’t had many after-Christmas returns either, noting many returns had actually been done before Christmas.

Clark also said Christmas sales had been good this year.

“It was really good, busy,” Clark said. “We sold out of a lot of different stuff, so we did a really good Christmas.”

There were reports of some metropolitan stores implementing more restrictive return policies, in some cases even requiring restocking fees, but local merchants seem to have avoided such measures.

“We do not give money back without receipts,” Clark said, “but that’s the same policy as always here,” she added, noting Goody’s locally had not added any of the more restrictive policies turning up at some stores.

Dowdy said Penney’s had avoided this as well.

“We don’t do that,” he said, “Penney’s has never done that. No, we don’t charge a restocking fee at all.”

Dowdy said the store has much the same policy as most stores, requiring a receipt for money back, but noting that even without a receipt, if the return was a Penney’s item the customer would be issued a gift card which could be used to purchase other items in the store.

“We try to make it as easy as possible,” Dowdy said.