Tips on returning Christmas gifts

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - By now, all the Christmas gifts have been opened and now comes the decision if you want to keep them or not. 

For those returning gifts, you may think it's as simple as taking your unwanted item back to the stores and getting cash or making an exchange. However, there are some fine print rules you should check into before you do that.

There are at least four major things you should keep in mind.

• First, make sure you are returning the item within the time allotted by the store, most have a thirty or 60 day return policy.
• Second, make sure you hang onto the gift receipt if the person who gave it to you, placed it with the gift.
• Third, if you got the item online, you should check the store policy to see if you can take it back to one of their local locations as opposed to shipping it back to them.
• Finally, if it was an electronic item there may be a re-stocking fee for the store to take it back and put it on their shelf. That may prevent you from getting a full refund.

If you want to see what kind of policy various stores may have on returns, you can look on websites like stellaservice.com which has a break down on what most require.