Dec 28, 2003 By Angie Santello 3 min read

With the Christmas season coming to a close, holiday shoppers now wait to return those holiday gift items. During a Saturday afternoon survey of shoppers and managers at local stores, return lines were much shorter than store officials predicted, while stores were prepared to accommodate the expected rush of customers.

At Super Kmart in South Union Township on Saturday afternoon, the return line extended to the front of the Bo-Ric’s hair salon. Shopper Ginny Harbst of Uniontown waited only 10 minutes to return clothes. That was nothing compared to what she faced at other stores, especially one where she had to match the exact item to the receipt, making it difficult when purchased items were listed under vague titles such as “merchandise.” Harbst came prepared, though, with 50 or so receipts stacked neatly in an envelope.

The worst rushes of the day occurred during lunchtime and after dinner, when most people waited with the most popular return item, clothing, in hand, said Gary Workman, Kmart store operation manager.

According to Workman, this year and last year saw much lighter return traffic compared to years before.

“In years past, people would come the first or the second day after Christmas,” said Workman. “Now, they wait a couple of weeks after.”

Workman said this trend of waiting out the return rush accounts for the shorter wait and lighter traffic.

Three Kmart employees busily worked at the service desk, as returned clothing items piled up in a nearby shopping cart. Workman said Kmart tried separate return lines in the past but found that a few workers behind the service desk worked out fine. Workman said he expects the same return traffic in and out of the store over the next two weeks.

Directly inside the entrance at Value City department store in the Uniontown Mall, Judy Ziots, customer service representative in charge of returns, sat at a green and red decorated table. Shoppers looking to return items did not miss the huge signs that read “Returns Here,” with an arrow pointing down at the desk.

“It’s been light,” Ziots reported. “It was light Friday, too. It seems like it gets lighter every year. …Maybe people are just choosing right.”

Although light return traffic was seen this weekend, Ziots said Value City had many returns before Dec. 25.

Again, Ziots said clothes were the most commonly returned item. After returning a dark pink business suit, Juanita Shaffer of Oakland, Md., was directed toward a cashier line to receive her receipt. She was pleased to have been quickly accommodated.

“I’m really surprised that they have a separate return line,” said Shaffer. “I just hate waiting in line.”

Inside Wal-Mart in South Union Township, by far the busiest with returns Saturday afternoon, people with bicycles, baby dolls, shirts, pants and jackets lined in front of six cash register return locations.

“Everybody’s getting through pretty quick,” said Shirley Kimmer, people greeter, who placed return tags on shopping items as people came through the entrance doors. Customers waiting in one line stretching to the entranceway of the store were overjoyed when Kimmer told them registers two and four were also accepting returns.

Wal-Mart Manager Jack Yard said return traffic has been typical for Wal-Mart. He said the six registers accepting returned items are one way Wal-Mart prepared for the weekend. Yard said he expects return traffic to ebb and return lines to return to regular purchasing lines in about two weeks.

“This is the normal Christmas shopping season,” said Yard.