As the festive paper scraps hit the floor and the holiday cheer starts to fade, many people find themselves faced with the annual tradition of returning gifts that didn’t quite hit the mark.
In Anchorage, Alaska, the hustle and bustle doesn’t pause, not even on Christmas. Latonya Rascoe stands at the ready, processing a stream of holiday returns at a FedEx office. ‘We even work Christmas Day here at the front counter, taking your returns,’ she remarks with a sense of seasoned duty.
This scenario isn’t unique. The National Retail Federation has forecasted that nearly 17% of all holiday sales, amounting to almost $900 billion, will find their way back to the shelves this year. This peak period for returns typically stretches from now until January 2nd.
Last year highlighted a trend where online purchases were redeemed as the primary culprits in this return frenzy, extending the holiday shipping chaos by weeks. ‘They’re returns on everything they don’t like, everything they don’t want, everything that was too small, too big, we return,’ Rascoe elaborates.
Over at the FedEx shipping hub in Anchorage, it’s a scene akin to organized chaos. Up to 80,000 packages are sorted daily, with around three dozen cargo planes ready to whisk them away to various destinations, from domestic hubs in Oakland, Indianapolis, and Memphis to far-flung places across Asia and the Pacific.
Tracy Watkins, a senior ramp manager at FedEx, has her hands full ensuring these planes operate on time. The global scale is staggering, with FedEx managing about 16 million delivery operations daily in the lead-up to Christmas.
For those eager to offload their unwanted gifts, a word of caution: experts advise doing your homework. Return policies aren’t one-size-fits-all, and failing to adhere to them might result in unexpected charges. Kimberly Palmer from Nerdwallet advises maintaining items in their original packaging, keeping receipts handy, and most importantly, not delaying the return process. ‘A lot of people go past the deadline that returns have to be processed,’ Palmer warns.
In the aftermath of holiday festivities, the return of gifts has become as much a tradition as the celebrations themselves. While the logistics of handling returns can seem overwhelming, understanding store policies and prompt action can alleviate much of the hassle. As Latonya Rascoe’s experience in Anchorage shows, while the return season is hectic, it runs smoothly with the right preparation.
Source: Yahoo
