There's No Going Back

By Arlyn Tobias Gajilan

Attention holiday shoppers: Returning all those silly snowflake sweaters, that fifth pair of Isotoners or that Chia Pet is about to get a little tougher. Retailers have been tightening their policies and relying on computer authorization systems to track and limit returns and exchanges, and this year they're even more aware of fraudulent returns. Retailers say they are just trying to soften the hit they expect to take--as much as $30 billion each year--from theft and fraud. "Honest customers won't be denied when they're in the right," says Joseph LaRocca, vice president of loss prevention at the National Retail Federation. Guess who decides what "right" is?

Getting blacklisted isn't hard. At Wal-Mart, which once had a lax return policy, just three round trips in 45 days without receipts triggers an alert. If you get flagged, you'll need a manager's approval to complete your purchase; then it will be six months before you can return an item as usual. Barnes & Noble and Home Depot have their own proprietary tagging systems too.

KB Toys, Sports Authority and Staples are some of the dozen or so retailers to outsource that job to the Return Exchange, a California company whose software automatically tells cashiers to bounce customers who bring back items too often. Exactly what "too often" means varies by retailer, the company says.

How do systems like Return Exchange tag you? It's easier now that most stores demand a driver's license or other photo ID whenever you try to take something back. Refuse, and your return may get rejected.

If you do get blacklisted, you can request a copy of your file and check it for any errors. Ultimately, though, it's up to the retailer to clear your return record.

Remember: if you get stuck with stocking stuffers you don't want, there's always regifting.

WAVE CASH GOODBYE New credit cards and fobs let you buy meals and movies without a signature. Just wave your device near terminals equipped with no-swipe technology. Here are some of the new flash cards:

EXPRESS PAY Amex's enabled Blue cards are available for the asking. Beware the Blue wave: holders tend to charge 28% more.

PAYPASS New Yorkers already have 20,000 Citibank key fobs that work like debit cards. Now, losing your keys can be even more horrifying.

BLINK Chase is "blinking" 5 million credit cards by 2006. A blink-enabled wristwatch might follow. Hey, time is money. --C.M.

ADDING UP HOLIDAY SHOPPING

According to the National Retail Federation, the typical shopper spent $302.81 during the Thanksgiving weekend for a total of $27.8 billion. That's a 21.9% increase over the same period last year o More than 60 million shoppers hit the stores on Black Friday, an increase of 7.9 % over 2004 o And by Sunday, Nov. 28, the average person had completed 35.6 % of his or her holiday shopping

With reporting by Coco Masters/New York