No exchanges, only returns?

[billig]

I bought a spool of thread using a 40% off, and went back another day to change it to a different color...I was hoping to just even exchange it.
My receipt says $1.59 for the return, and the new thread is not discounted or anything, it's still $2.XX
I would have noticed it right away, but I had purchased other things in this same transaction.
Is that how they do it normally at Joann? The new thread I bought was exactly the same except for color.

[HotNursingMama25]

I know this is a few days, er, months late in coming, but you should have been able to evenly exchange it.

I have had this problem not only at Joann's but at many, many other stores. It seems that no one understands the concept of 'product for product' not 'price for price.' What I mean is, you buy x at a discount, find out you need the same thing but a different color, size, whatever and when you go to exchange it, they don't want to just exchange. They want to process it as a return, then charge you again for the exact same item.

I had this problem recently with Old Navy over a pair of jeans. It's ridiculous, actually, that sales clerks don't understand this concept. I'm not sure of Joann's return policy, but you can do exchanges with items that you buy online. I don't see why it would be any different at the store. As far as the coupon being used, I would have spoken with a manager and explained that all you are doing is exchanging item for item and shouldn't have to pay the difference because the company already has your money. The item that you exchange will be sold at the full price, so they aren't losing anything. :) Clear as mud?

[bigsweetie]

Most retailers do it that way for inventory purposes. If you return a spool of blue thread and want to exchange it for a spool of red thread, they need to return the blue (to show it back in inventory) and ring up the red spool (to show it leaving inventory). That's the only way to keep inventory straight.

When you go in to a store and they are out of something, they can generally check the inventory of other stores in the area to see if they have it for you. If they just exchanged things w/o doing it as a return/purchase, you'd get to store #2 and they wouldn't have it either! LOL!

As for the price difference, she should have reused your 40% off c/o on the repurchase. Some stores are good about that (BBB, for one) but other stores aren't as generous. I ALWAYS ask if they'll reuse my coupon when doing a return/exchange. The cashier may have just forgot or didn't think to do that!

Sorry that happened to you!