If you’re the type of person who would almost rather donate something than deal with the stress of returning it, our expert shopping companions at Consumer Reports have put together 5 steps that you can take to make the process a bit more manageable. Some are obvious, but you only have to read our tipline for a day to realize that obvious strategies are often the most frequently overlooked. [More]
return the gift
Get A Gift From Target? Guard The Receipt Carefully
By 12.23.10
When giving or receiving gifts from Target, keep careful track of the gift receipt. If you don’t, the store’s policies might cause you to lose some money, then feel some rage. That’s what happened to Chris when he exchanged a set of sheets that were the wrong size. Even though he swapped them for a smaller (and thus cheaper) set, he had to pay Target extra for the privilege. [More]
Beware These 7 Holiday Ripoffs
By 12.10.10
Before you finish your holiday shopping, you may want to take a look at this list compiled by Forbes of 7 popular items that get marked up way too much. Among the worst: greeting cards, which have a markup of up to 200% above cost. [More]
Fed Makes Sure Gift Cards Are Still A Bad Deal
By 3.24.10
When the CARD Act went into effect in February, it also included new rules designed to limit some of the more egregious practices of gift-card issuers, like early expiration dates and “dormancy” fees. However, Congress put the Federal Reserve in charge of interpreting the new law, and yesterday the agency unwrapped its new collection of rules. Is it too late to return this one? [More]
