As stores along Higuera Street were opening early Sunday morning, Ashley and Paige Brackett visited downtown San Luis Obispo to return some gifts from the holidays.
“It was more like things that didn't fit,” Ashley Brackett said. “Nothing really that anybody didn't like. It was just, didn’t fit or didn't need, or they had two. Not a lot of returns for us this year though.”
She said their goal when returning gifts is to exchange the items for something else at the store so they can continue supporting the business.
According to the National Retail Federation, retailers are estimating 15.8% of annual sales will be returned by the end of 2025. Local business owner Steven Wick said he’s seeing an uptick after Christmas.
“It’s definitely the season of returns,” Wick said. “As Christmas has progressed, it's more of, like, 'I just need to get this person something.' I used to hear, 'It's a thought that counts.' I've got a lot of people who are particular or they have their own style, so they're going to want to, you know, exchange it for something that's more fitting to their person.”
Wick said most returns won’t result in refunds. Instead, people can exchange their gift for something else at the store.
A few blocks down, Sandbox Kids offers exchanges, but Andria McGhee said she hasn’t seen anyone coming in to do that yet.
“We do a return policy, it's an exchange policy,” McGhee said. “Since the owner has things coming and going, we can exchange things within two weeks.”
Brackett said while it’s easier to return online and keeps you away from the crowds, nothing beats shopping in person.
“We haven't had any issues so far,” Brackett said regarding the ease of returns this year. “Then, of course, a lot on Amazon, so that's a really easy.”
Wick said returns can’t be measured throughout the year, but it’s most common right after the holidays.
