Okay, so yesterday I found myself in a bit of a pickle at Marshalls and figured I’d share my experience ’cause maybe it’ll help someone else out there.
Here’s the deal: I needed to return a sweater. It was a gift, totally not my style, and I knew I wouldn’t wear it. The problem? I could not, for the life of me, find the receipt. I mean, I looked everywhere. My purse, my car, even asked my dog (he wasn’t helpful). Nada.
So, armed with just the sweater, I braced myself and headed to Marshalls. I walked in, found the customer service desk, and explained my situation. I started with, “Hi, I need to return this sweater, but… uh… I lost the receipt.” I could feel my cheeks getting a little red.
The lady behind the counter didn’t even bat an eye. She just asked if the tags were still on the sweater. Luckily, they were! I made sure not to take them off when I first got the gift, because you know, in case I needed to return it.
She scanned the tag and after a few seconds, she was like, “Okay, no problem.” Whew! Huge relief. She asked for my ID, which I handed over. She scanned that too, and then offered me store credit for the current selling price of the sweater. That sounded fine to me.
Here’s what I learned (and what you should keep in mind if you’re ever in this situation):
- Tags are your best friend: Seriously, leave those tags on if you think there’s even a slight chance you might return something.
- Have your ID ready: They’ll likely need it to process the return without a receipt. They need to keep track of returns to prevent fraud and stuff.
- Expect store credit: You’re probably not going to get cash back without a receipt. Store credit is usually the best they can do, which is totally fair.
- Be polite: This goes without saying, but being nice to the customer service people can go a long way. They’re more likely to be helpful if you’re not being a jerk.
The whole process was surprisingly easy, and I walked out with a Marshalls gift card, ready to find something I actually liked. Not bad for a receipt-less return!
Final thoughts
Just remember, it’s always best to keep your receipts. But if you do lose one, don’t panic! There’s a good chance Marshalls will still work with you, especially if you have the tags and your ID.