Clark Howard’s advice on returns and receipts

Organized crime rings are making it more and more difficult for average consumers to return purchases.

Channel 2′s Consumer Advisor Clark Howard explains what you need to do to make sure you’ll get your money back.

Shoplifting has become such a big issue for various retailers that when you go to return an item without the receipt, you may feel like you’re being treated like a criminal.

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“They may even take a digital image of you and that feeling like a criminal? Well, it’s how the game is played right now because so much of the theft is done by organized criminal rings and the retailers are looking for patterns of the same person returning stuff over and over again,” Howard said.

Clark says you should come up with a system to retain your receipts.

“Take an electronic image of one with your phone,” Howard said. “So if you do go to return an item, it shows you’re legitimately the purchaser who is returning the item.”

If you buy a gift for someone, Clark says you should always ask for a gift receipt.

If the gift recipient needs to return an item, they won’t be treated like a crook.

For more great tips from Clark Howard, visit https://clark.com/.

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