Four Different Ways to Return

This evening, I returned several items in four different ways, earning back over $200 for less than an hour and a half of work (that's like making $300K / year).

The first return was without a receipt. I'd bought toner cartridges and had lost the receipt in my jacket. However, the store was able to lookup the purchase. Initially, a junior clerk said the toners weren't returnable. That's when I pointed him to the box that had a guarantee on it.

The second was a price match over the phone. The washer and dryer set I'd purchased several weeks ago was on sale at a different store for much less. I called up the manager and they refunded the difference without a fuss.

The third return was for was jeans. I’d removed the tags and after wearing them for a few days, decided that they were too large on me. So, despite having removed the tags, I was able to return them because I had the receipt. This big box store really made it no hassle.

Lastly, number four was a standard return to a big box hardware store – with the receipts and unopened items. Although there could be more difficult scenarios, this was a pretty easy one.

The point of all of these is really to illustrate that taking back items that are not adding significant value should be an integral part of your consumer activities. It can yield huge dividends over the long term.