Stop returning the gifts you got during the holidays unless it is clothes that do not fit you. There is no other time in which returning a gift is acceptable. When did this become a thing? When did we become that ungrateful that returning gifts became acceptable? As someone who used to work in retail, in a store that did not sell clothes, this really grinds my gears.

According to Business Insider, "An estimated $90 billion in holiday merchandise is about to be returned to stores." Let's repeat that again to really drive it home, $90 BILLION! That is an outrageous number. Now, this issue of returning gifts doesn't just bother me because it was an annoyance when I worked retail, but because of the thought process that goes behind it.

Yes, I understand not all gifts have that much thought put behind it. If you receive a candle or a scarf for Christmas, it is almost guaranteed that at least two other people got the same thing from that person. HOWEVER, you still got a gift from that person. BE GRATEFUL.

I know, I know I sound extremely judgemental and there will be people offended by this. However, sometimes we just need to vent.

Let me dive into that retail background I spoke of before. I worked at a Coach outlet store on and off for either a little over 2 years or almost 3 years. Yes, I know it sounds like a weird relationship. After Christmas, we would be bombarded with returns. As a cashier, I had to handle all of these returns. Most people had gift receipts so they would receive store credit and then go ahead and buy something else. While taking care of the return transaction I would get mildly annoyed that someone was making the return.

When someone buys you a designer handbag or accessory there is usually some thought put into it. That thought goes out the window the moment they returned it.

Growing up if I ever received a gift that I didn't like my parents made me pretend like I loved it and the idea of returning it was out of the question. I feel like this wave of returns is a much more recent occurrence. I picture the scene in A Christmas Story when Ralphie gets the pink bunny suit. BE LIKE RALPHIE AND DEAL WITH IT. Why is it okay for adult to be so ungrateful?

Yes, I am going to keep saying it is ungrateful because that's just what it is.

Stop returning gifts. Be more grateful. Just think of how you would feel if you put even an ounce of thought into a gift and then found out that the receiver returned it. That probably wouldn't feel great would it?

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