Gift returns should be easier this year, with COVID prompting longer return windows

The coronavirus pandemic and economic upheaval have put a damper on holiday shopping, but, if it’s any consolation, some retailers have more generous return policies this year.

In recent years, stores have been shortening the time for returns and restricting cash refunds. But now some major retailers are allowing more leeway, according to a yearly survey by ConsumerWorld.org, a blog by Edgar Dworsky, a former Massachusetts assistant attorney general and consumer expert.

Notable changes this year:

• Amazon expanded its holiday return window, allowing most items bought between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31 to be returned as late as Jan. 31.
• Best Buy is allowing most purchases made between Oct. 13 and Jan. 2 to be returned until Jan. 16. This excludes items such as cellphones that have a third-party contract and major appliances.
• Target expanded its holiday return period to include electronics and entertainment items purchased as early as Oct. 1, making Dec. 26 the first day of the 30-day return period for such items. (An exception: Apple products, excluding mobile phones, get only 15 days.) Most other items from Target have a 90-day return window.
• Home Depot is allowing 180 days for returns on most items.

Katherine Cullen, senior director of industry and consumer insights for the National Retail Federation, says the loosened return policies reflect the earlier start to holiday shopping this year. Though an estimated 186.4 million consumers shopped between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday, many hit this year’s early-opening holiday sales in October. Longer return windows also “help cut down on crowds” and make customers feel safer, she says.

Retailers set their own policies, which can range from no returns to returns for store credit only to a full cash refund and might depend on whether the customer has a receipt.

Some retailers also charge restocking fees, especially for electronics.

Dworsky recommends avoiding crowds by waiting a day or two to try to return unwanted items or asking whether the retailer provides free returns by mail. Provide a receipt, and return the item unopened and with all of its packaging.