CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Even though it was the day after Christmas, the stores were still packed Thursday night.
There were many lines at the stores in the Charleston Town Center of people trying to return Christmas gifts that either didn’t fit right or wasn’t exactly what was on the list.
“Mainly exchange stuff that I got for people,” said Tammy Anderson from Clendenin. “I got the wrong size.”
She wasn’t the only one bringing stuff back as the retail industry expected $3.5 billion in returns. South Charleston resident Nikki Bragg was one of the fortunate ones who didn’t have to bring items back.
“I usually don’t have to bring anything back,” she said with a smile.
But it wasn’t only about bringing stuff back, it was also about spending the Christmas money.
“I just got straight cash in my stocking,” said Chase Bologna from Dunbar.
The trip was well worth it for Chase as he left the mall with a number of bags with items he wanted for Christmas, but the best part was that he got the items on sale.
“I found the best deals at Macy’s and JCPenneys, stores like that,” he said.
Instead of bringing stuff back, Bragg was also taking advantage of the deals and picking stuff up.
“The sales were really good,” she added. “Everything we got was on sale, plus we had coupons.”
Bragg had a number of coupons emailed to her from stores she frequently shopped at and she didn’t waste anytime taking advantage of the deals.
As shoppers walked through the mall they were greeted with sales offering up to 80 percent off merchandise at some stores. Despite bringing items back for others, Anderson couldn’t even pass up the deals going on.
“I did find stuff on sale that I bought for myself,” she said. “Seventy percent off Christmas bulbs, so I bought those.”
The deals were a plenty but so were the shoppers Thursday night. Bologna said he got everything he wanted to get, but not before standing in line first to purchase it.
Those looking to return items need to be aware that most stores will ask for a government issued identification card or gift receipt to prove the item was actually purchased. In addition, some stores have reduced their return window.