We are now three days into the official Holiday Returns & Exchanges Season, and while those shoppers who paid a little more — and put on pants — to go shopping at bricks-and-mortar stores, it’s usually just a matter of waiting in line to get your refund. But for gift-givers who did their buying online this year, that wait for a refund could be anywhere from a few days to several weeks. [More]
holiday shopping
Consumer Reports Poll Says 14% Of Shoppers Lie To Cover Up Lack Of Gift
By 12.21.11
You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch. Or at least a liar, according to a new poll by our astute older siblings at Consumer Reports. While some of us hem and haw and promise a gift in the future, a full 14 percent of shoppers lie outright when they haven’t bought a gift for someone. [More]
Best Buy Waits Until Now To Admit It Doesn't Have That Stuff You Ordered On Black Friday
By 12.20.11
In case you are calendar-challenged, Christmas is less than a week away, meaning you have precious little time to get your shopping done. Unfortunately for some people who thought they were getting things done early by ordering through Best Buy’s website over the Black Friday weekend, they are just now finding out that they are out of luck. [More]
Walmart Managers Turn Away Wannabe Secret Santa
By 12.20.11
The biggest trend this holiday season appears to be people who have some money doing something nice for those who might need it by anonymously paying for layaway purchases. But when a woman in Houston attempted to do this at two of her local Walmarts, managers at both stores turned her away, citing a nonexistent company policy. [More]
How An Attempt To Return TV To Best Buy Left Man With No TV And No Refund
By 12.20.11
Eli thought he could just walk into a Best Buy with a TV and a gift receipt and walk out with a refund or store credit. But this is Best Buy, where nothing ever ends up the way it’s supposed to. [More]
ToysRus.com Loses My Order, Tells Me I Can Go Pick It Up In Store For An Additional $60
By 12.19.11
As we reported last week, a recent survey showed that the website for Toys R Us came in dead last among top online retailers for its average delivery time. Unfortunately, this news came too late for Consumerist reader Victor who had already been waiting 11 days for his order from the site. [More]
Generous Mystery Family Hands Out Cash, Pays For Purchases, At Indiana Goodwill
By 12.19.11
Over the weekend, a family in Valparaiso, IN, took the name of the Goodwill store quite literally, handing out money to shoppers and paying for their purchases at the checkout line. [More]
How To Be A Return-Friendly Shopper This Holiday Season
By 12.19.11
You may think you’ve bought the perfect gift for everyone on your list, but at least some of your recipients are likely to disagree: Last holiday season, nearly one in seven adults returned a gift within the first two weeks after Christmas. And many shoppers make it harder for them by leaving out gift receipts or failing to look into retail return policies. [More]
Which Online Retailers Have The Fastest & Slowest Delivery Times?
By 12.16.11
Today is Free Shipping Day, which is pretty self-explanatory, but free shipping doesn’t mean good shipping. That’s why the folks at STELLAservice wanted to know which of the top 25 online retailers were able to get you your order in a timely manner. [More]
A "Buy Nothing Christmas" Can Save Money, Refresh The Holiday Spirit
By 12.16.11
Maybe you just can’t afford to buy Christmas gifts this year — or perhaps you want to revive the true spirit of the holiday. In either case, advocates of a “Buy Nothing Christmas” are doing just that — occupying the holiday season, as it were, by deciding not to shop. [More]
A Dozen Scams Certain To Spoil Your Holiday Spirit
By 12.15.11
With Christmas just 10 days away and Hanukkah even sooner, it’s no wonder that most of us are feeling harried and distracted. But don’t take leave of your senses. Thieves and scammers celebrate the season by taking advantage of people who don’t have time to give things the usual scrutiny. [More]
More Holiday Buying Leads To More Returns
By 12.15.11
Retailers that rejoiced over big Black Friday numbers that kicked off a strong holiday sales season now have reason for pessimism. More buying means there’s also more buyer’s remorse, with a National Retail Federation survey finding that retailers will refund 9.9 cents for every dollar they take in, due to returns. The figure is up 0.1 cents from last year, and nearly three cents higher than in a better economic climate. [More]
Every Monday Is Cyber Monday This Holiday Season
By 12.14.11
According to the ancient tradition, the Monday immediately following Thanksgiving has been known as Cyber Monday, that day when we all pretend to be working but are really sifting through countless websites looking for bargains. But that long-held tradition is now being repeated every first day of the work week this holiday season. [More]
Who Is Responsible When A Shopper Loses Items He Just Bought?
By 12.13.11
In all the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping, we’re surprised we don’t hear more about shoppers accidentally losing a bag of items they just purchased. But when that happens, is the store responsible for the shopper’s forgetfulness? [More]
Gifts That Will End Up Costing The Recipient More Money
By 12.13.11
Everyone loves getting free stuff. But not everyone is a fan of getting free stuff that requires them to then spend money just to use it. [More]
More Shoppers "Renting" Electronics From Retailers
By 12.13.11
A new study shows that a growing number of electronics purchases — up to one in five — are being returned to retailers, and that a large majority of the items returned as defective are in fact perfectly fine. [More]
Treat Yourself: Holiday Self-Gifting Is The New Way To Go
By 12.12.11
Don’t want to make excuses as to why you’re not wearing that sweater your Aunt Dolores gave you for Christmas? Avoid that whole mess with one simple idea — skip gift exchanges and just give yourself what you want for the holidays. [More]
