Some Jefferson City shoppers plodded up to return counters with armfuls of unwanted Christmas gifts on Monday, while others eagerly scouted post-Christmas deals.
Foot traffic at the downtown stores was steady, with most people bargain hunting.
Sandy Wilkerson and her 9-year-old daughter, Amilia, were in Carrie's Hallmark getting Amilia's bracelet adjusted for length and stumbled on "some good sales," Sandy Wilkerson said. "We bought some clothes and holiday stuff," she said.
Josh Walters and his wife, Heather, were "piddling around" with their two children, and getting some grocery shopping done as well. They were at Carrie's and heading out to Downtown Book & Toy, where they were going to use a gift card to buy a book for one of their children.
"It's been hopping today," said Carrie Tergin, owner of Carrie's Hallmark. "The way the calendar falls, it's in people's favor for shopping. Typically, the day after Christmas is a work day."
But on Monday, she was seeing more people leisurely shopping with their family.
Pat Jones, office manager of Southbank Gift Company, said: "People spend money for family and friends, but for themselves they want the bargains."
Southbank, like many other stores, was offering 50 percent off Christmas items.
By mid-morning, she said, they had just one exchange and no returns. Sam Bushman, owner of Samuel's Tuxedos & Gifts, said his store hadn't had any returns or exchanges by mid-morning.
He had a steady stream of customers seeking discounted Christmas collectibles and clothing.
At the big box stores, shoppers formed long lines in the morning to return everything from clothes that didn't fit or video games they've already played. The big stores were prepared for the onslaught and had extra staffing. By mid-afternoon, the Stadium Boulevard Walmart had carts filled with returned items in its customer service department, but there was no wait to return items.
Retailers advised shoppers to have their receipts or gift receipts, products with original packaging, and a driver's license or other form of ID, which retailers use to combat shoplifting.
Bringing receipts is important because it ensures you get back what was paid for the product. Otherwise, you might only get back the lowest-price that the product has been sold for. Or you might get the full price, but only as store credit.
Different stores have different return policies, so some give more time than others to return gifts. But retailers say the sooner the better to ensure you can take it back and get a full return.
Kmart this year has extended its window for returning items. Items bought from Nov. 1 through Dec. 24 typically have a 30-day return window, but the chain is now allowing items bought in that period to be returned by Jan. 31, 2017.