Columnist Muriel Stevens: Get to know a store’s return policy

Wednesday, July 1, 1998 | 10:19 a.m.

Returning purchases isn't nearly as pleasurable as buying them, so it's a good idea to think about a store's return policy before you buy.

Read the signs in the store -- usually found behind the cashier's station. They are a good guide to the shop's sales philosophy.

If a sign says, "No refunds; No exchanges without receipt," believe it -- and read the receipt carefully. I once carried around a credit slip for more than a year, then tried to use it. The small print on the bottom of the slip said that it would not be honored after 12 months.

I fought for and won the right to get something for my money by pointing out to the owner that I had tried to use it on many occasions and was stymied by their limited stock. I bought something I didn't really want and the shop lost a customer.

So the first rule in returning merchandise is to know the store policy and to use credits (and gift certificates) as soon as you can.

How generous a return policy is has nothing to do with whether a store is exclusive or mainstream. A fair return policy inspires loyalty. How far will a store go to please its patrons? Sometimes it depends on the management of the store.

A friend's teenage son complained that one of the pair of his favorite, expensive Nike track shoes had lost its air space.

His mother took them back to the Nike store at the Forum Shops, where they were replaced with a brand new pair, without any hassle. She did not have a receipt. "Our general policy is to satisfy the customer and to back our products wherever they are sold," a manager said. Nike relies on its trained staff to make the judgment call.

Be aware that other athletic footwear shops, which also sell Nikes, operate under their own store policy. At Just For Feet in the Forum Shops, Nikes and all other brands must be returned in the original box with the receipt within 14 days.

Recently, I was in a boutique that specialized in swimwear. A sign said, "Returns or exchanges not allowed by law." What was this law? "It's a health law," the sales person said.

If it is, the health department doesn't know about it. There is no statute to that effect that I could find, and none of the catalogs or stores where I shop has such a policy.

Neiman Marcus, Dillard's, Macy's and T.J. Maxx ask only that the receipt and sales tags come back with any men's or women's swimsuit within 30 days, and that it not have been worn. Mervyn's policy is even more liberal. It will accept returns up to 90 days after purchase. Mervyn's would prefer the tags and receipt, but will accept just the receipt. With no receipt, T.J. Maxx will issue a store credit.

All say that if a swimsuit has a defect, it's returnable, even if it's been worn.

Smaller shops and boutiques can rarely afford the same return policies as the big guys, but they do have to inform customers of the limits. It is a law that stores that do not allow refunds or exchanges, or limit the life of a credit or a gift certificate, must inform customers via a conspicuously placed sign, or print the policy on the sales tag and the receipt.

So, what's your responsibility? Be fair. I've heard stories from shopkeepers about return abuses by customers that are shocking. Don't think that a store doesn't know when it's being duped.

The result is higher prices for everyone.