Planning to change a slightly tight sweater or a slightly boring book you got for Christmas? Then you are not alone.
Two out of five say they prefer to exchange gifts they don’t need, according to Unicef.
Although it is not a necessity, it is a great advantage if you have a change tag.
– The right of exchange over the counter is not regulated by law, so without an exchange slip the store can legally refuse you to exchange the gift, writes senior legal advisor at the consumer council, Thomas Iversen to TV 2.
According to Iversen, it is very rare that people are refused to exchange the gift if it is unused.
– If the gift has been opened and used, you probably have to wave goodbye to the exchange options.
Thomas Iversen is a senior adviser at the Consumer Council Photo: Jonas Been Henriksen / TV 2
Ask for a receipt
Iversen believes it is wise to get the replacement done relatively quickly. Some stores may have short deadlines for exchanges.
– This space Christmas has many working days, and everyone does not have to change at the same time. To avoid overcrowding, it can be smart to postpone the exchange until later in the week.
If you want the money back, you usually need a receipt.
INCOME: Storo Storsenter has had a visitor record this year. Photo: Goran Jorganovich / TV 2
– If the store practices so-called open purchase, a receipt is often required if you want the money back. Then you have to ask the person who gave you the gift if they still have the receipt, writes Iversen to TV 2.
Gifts bought online are also somewhat more difficult to exchange. If the gift was bought in a Norwegian or an EU/EEA affiliated online shop, there is a 14-day right of withdrawal from the time the item arrived at the buyer, writes NTB.
Do not recommend waiting
On Christmas Eve, the shopping center at Storo in Oslo sent in the police to regulate traffic around the centre.
PREPARED: Center manager at Storo Unni Merethe Aasgaard says many people come later in the day since they work during Christmas. Photo: Eirik Gard Endal
On Tuesday morning, center manager Unni Merethe Aasgaard says that they are prepared for a new influx of customers when the center reopens.
– Exchanging Christmas presents is a tradition. What you should be aware of is that the shops’ exchange rules may vary. My stable tip is to bring an exchange slip or receipt and not do anything with the packaging, she says.
Aasgaard is not quite sure which day will be the most hectic. This is the first space Christmas in two years without pandemic restrictions. The basis for comparison is therefore old.
– Should you wait a couple of days to avoid congestion if you want to change?
– It depends somewhat on what you are going to trade in. If you have made up your mind and have a replacement note, I think it should be done as soon as possible, says center manager Aasgaard.
FULL ROLL: There were a record number of visitors to several shopping centers in the run-up to Christmas. Photo: Gorm Røseth / TV 2
– Hard landing in the New Year
Despite tighter economic times, Norwegians have done more Christmas shopping than in the previous normal year. This shows figures from BankID Bankaxept.
The figures show that we have spent a total of NOK 97 billion in the stores. Adjusted for inflation, there is a decrease of just under 4.4 per cent from 2019. In 2019, people traded for NOK 91 billion.
– Norwegians don’t skimp on Christmas celebrations. It will probably be a hard landing for many in the new year, with oatmeal and a spare knife to create a buffer again, says Kjetil Bøe, Head of Payments at BankID Bankaxept, in a press release.
During the pandemic years 2020 and 2021, Christmas shopping in stores was extraordinarily high. This year’s Christmas shopping from November to 24 December ended somewhat lower than these record years, down by 7.5 per cent compared to last year.
