If you are still shopping for gifts at this point you are undoubtedly tired from the crowds, stressed from not being able to find the right gift, or even frazzled because the parking place you were waiting for got taken right in front of you as you waited. We have all been there. An alarming fact of the matter is this after fighting the crowds of people and leaving the store with what you hope is the perfect gift nearly 46.28 billion-yes billion dollars worth of holiday gifts will be returned. Which begs the question…Is it worth it?

So, if you want to avoid your gift from being returned what should you avoid? Clothing, games or toys, electronics, beauty items or jewelry; in other words all the normal gifts that we give and receive every year. That is what is so interesting about polls. Yes, 74% of all clothing purchases will be returned after the holiday season. What the polls don’t tell you is why. Was the size wrong? Was the color wrong? Was it just awful? We don’t know. One theory is that you can return the item after the holidays and in some cases repurchase the same exact item for 30-40% less.

While retailers have red signs all over the place indicating sales at this time of the year, the sad truth is the real sales come in January. The last quarter of the year is when businesses are really pushing to make their year-end numbers and quite frankly retailers know they don’t have to steeply discount their goods right now because you need them just as badly as they need you. In prior years there were some fairly decent sales come December due to a downturn in the economy. This year however has marked higher sales than the previous 3 years which is good for retailers and bad for bargain shoppers.

This has spurred many to switch to gift cards only as gifts during the Holiday season. While gift cards are wonderful, don’t get me wrong, I personally still love a nice gift wrapped present with a big bow on top for a couple of reasons. 1) Who doesn’t love to open gifts? The sound of the paper ripping, the element of surprise, the look on the recipients face as they open the box and the inevitable mountain of wrapping paper after all the gifts are opened. 2) How boring would it be if you simply opened gift card after gift card? Ideally a mix makes for a wonderful Christmas.

This leads to a question…Are you offended if someone takes back a gift you bought them? Think about that question….Not disappointed, not understanding but flat out offended. Last year American Express conducted a poll and found that 12% of all gift givers said they are actually offended when someone returns a gift that they purchased no matter what the reason for the return. The same poll found that 56% didn’t care if someone had to make a return and that 62% of all consumers polled claimed that they included gift receipts with all the gifts they gave.

While the stress of the Holiday shopping may lead some to wonder is it worth it, personally I say yes. Even the greatest major leaguers strike out sometimes but that makes the homeruns that much sweeter. The same goes for gift giving. The occasional miss in gift giving pales in comparison to when you watch a loved one open a gift that they truly love knowing how much thought you put into it. Of course, that is just one opinion.

Moritz of North Arlington -