Retailers slash restocking fees, tout Mega Monday sales

By: WNCT Staff | WNCT
Published: December 26, 2011
Updated: December 26, 2011 - 6:26 PM

GREENVILLE, N.C. - You thought the shopping days were finally over, but retailers say not fast: Today is "Mega Monday".

Shoppers flocked for those after-Christmas sales and made some returns too.

As you return your gifts and then use that money to take advantage of this weeks sales, Nine On Your Side has some guidelines for returns you'll need to know.

"Customers are coming in and they might not have got the perfect gift, but they got it real close,” said Rodney Payne, Best Buy General Manager.

It's a gift just a return away from being perfect.

Payne opened his store at 8 a.m. Monday and the lines came just as early.

"We can actually track returns and exchanges a lot better now and I think that helps a lot," said Payne.

Stores like Best Buy, Target and Wal-Mart have all slashed their restocking fees on electronics such as computers or mp3 players, but the key is not to open anything you might return.

"You can't open software and you can't open DVDs or CD's or anything like that. Those we can't take back,” said Payne.

You can work around this clause by taking the product back to the store and asking them to open it.

Some stores will accept open products as long as it was opened under their supervision.

And if you've made the classic mistake of losing your receipt, some stores will still accept a return, but your options such as money back or exchanging could be limited.

"Without a receipt or a gift receipt you're going to get back either a merchandise credit or you're going to be reimbursed the lowest amount it sold for, not necessarily what you paid for," said Tod Marks, Consumer Reports Senior Editor

Be sure to always check the bottom of your receipt for any special situations like a smaller return window, especially electronics. Target only offers a 45 day window. Wal-Mart only gives you 15 days to return.

Stores like Best Buy offer a flat 45-day return policy on all items if you reach a certain limit with their rewards program.

If you've lost your receipt and opened your project, Payne says it's always best to return to the store and see if there is any way they can track down the purchase.