It looks like somebody has to stand up for the retail merchant, so I will. Customers must realize that the acceptance of returns by a store is a courtesy extended for good relations, not a right. No merchant is obligated to accept returns. The acceptance of returns costs the merchant money, which comes out of their operating costs. Unfortunately some people abuse the reurns policies of some stores, hence the tightining of these policies. Having been the owner of a small hardware store and seen what people will do regarding returns, I am not at all surprised to see stores revising their policies. They are doing it out of economic necessity, not because they wish to cheat the consumer. Too many consumers have tried to cheat them and they can't afford it.

We should be grateful that merchants accept returns, especially gift returns without a receipt. Without a receipt they have no evidence that they had sold the product to the customer in the first place. By accepting a return, they are, in effect, buying the product at retail and then trying to resell it at the same price. That is a guaranteed loss for them.

I agree that defective merchandise should be able to be reurned without cost. My suppliers always gave me full credit for defective merchandise Defective merchandise was usually discarded and not returned to the warehouse. Nobody wanted to pay freight for something which would be discarded.