Many happy returns

Traditionally, the day after Christmas is a day of returns and exchanges, but many area shoppers also hit the stores Sunday ready to take advantage of the post-holiday sales.

For Nikki Allen, 27, the first stop was J.C. Penney at Columbia Mall. By 12:30 p.m., Allen, who had traveled from Macon, already had found several clothing bargains for herself and her 4-year-old son. She also planned to hunt for further deals throughout the mall.

Anne Langendoerfer, a senior customer-service specialist at J.C. Penney, said customers like Allen had been streaming into the store since it opened at 7 a.m., five hours earlier than usual. The morning traffic, however, was lighter than she expected.

“It’s been fairly steady, but it’s not as busy as we thought it would have been,” she said. “There haven’t been as many returns. More people are shopping.”

Although she refers to the day after Christmas as “National Return Day,” Langendoerfer said many customers seemed more in the mood to shop Sunday. They arrived with their families to take advantage of early sales that ended at 1 p.m., she said, adding that Christmas items and cold-weather products were popular.

Langendoerfer said she noticed few customers thinking far enough in advance to plan for next year’s gift-giving.

“I hear more people say they wish they would do it (more) than actually do it,” she said. “I wish I did; I’d be more prepared.”

Across Stadium Boulevard, Jacqueline Gates of Joplin was thinking about next year. Gates and her daughter, Tammy Browning of Columbia, were stocking up on seasonal decorations at Pier 1 Imports.

“It’s the best time to buy them,” Gates said as she held a Christmas stocking decoration.

Gates and Browning said their greatest bargain of the day was on wrapping paper, which was marked down more than 50 percent. However, with three hours and as many stores under their belts by mid-afternoon, the mother-daughter team was nearly ready to call it a day.

“It’s been very good,” Gates said. “Now we’re thinking about dinner.”

After seeing the offers in the newspaper, June Jones, 68, decided she would check out the sales at Famous Barr. As she searched for coats for her granddaughters, Jones said she might get something for herself if she found a good bargain.

MU freshman Sarah Harper, 18, took advantage of the sales while shopping with her boyfriend, Hickman High School senior Josh Boyer, also 18.

“I’m looking for a purse,” Harper said. Other customers, however, were out to return or exchange holiday gifts.

Like Goldilocks, Carly Schwandt, 16, couldn’t seem to get it “just right.” She got two Christmas presents from her mom; neither fit. The black Gap jacket that she exchanged for a gift card was too small. She also returned a sweater to Express that just wasn’t working.

“I didn’t like (the sweater), and it was too big, too,” Schwandt said.

Rachel McCarville, 21, a student at Truman State University, returned a pair of ill-fitting shoes from her brother’s fiancée. And Diane, 39, who didn’t give her last name to avoid offending her husband, took back a well-intentioned poncho.

“It’s from my husband,” she said with a guilty giggle. “It’s not quite what I’d like. I wanted a poncho, just not this one.”

When Johnny Eaker, a 26-year-old video producer, looked at Circuit City’s Web site last Wednesday, he was surprised to learn that the Kodak digital camera he bought his wife was $50 cheaper online. So he took his receipt to the store on Sunday, with a printout of the online offer and asked for $50 back. The store gave him credit to match the difference.

“They gave me my money back,” Eaker said. “I’m buying a DVD player.”