Styria storms shops – exchanges, vouchers: the big rush begins

Didn’t get the gift you wanted for Christmas? Or perhaps a voucher now waiting to be redeemed? For these reasons, department stores are now being stormed after the holidays. “It will be very busy in our stores on December 27 and 28 – we expect peaks like every year,” says Rainer Rauch, director of fashion house Roth with 15 locations in Styria. He says: “Vouchers were very trendy this year.” Why? “Because you shop more consciously, so that a customer can buy what he really needs or really wants.”

The vouchers are valid for that long
But the voucher business raises difficult questions, especially when it comes to deadlines. Christina Gruber from Consumer Protection at the Styrian Workers’ Chamber explains: “In principle, vouchers are always valid for 30 years.” There are only exceptions to the rule in exceptional cases, “only if there is a good reason for it, such as perishable goods”. Even if the voucher states that it has a shorter validity, this is often not true. And yet Gruber advises to redeem it quickly, “because if the company goes bankrupt, I will have nothing left of the voucher.”

But not every gift can be used as flexibly as a voucher, which is why exchanges take place more often after Christmas. “Especially in fashion it’s about sizes and fits,” says Rauch. When exchanging, it is best to have your receipt with you, because exchanges are almost always possible. What many people do not know, however, is that there is no right to exchange.

Am I entitled to an exchange?
In physical retail, “it’s purely a gesture of goodwill that I can exchange or return things,” Gruber explains. Therefore, please inquire about the conditions when purchasing. Often, discount items in particular cannot be exchanged or a credit note is simply provided.

In online retail, on the other hand, there is a 14-day right of withdrawal: “Here I can also return discounted goods,” Gruber explains. But the advantage of stationary retail is explained simply: “You can try it out, find a suitable item and then enjoy the afternoon with coffee or frizzante,” says Rauch. “And we also have a renovation shop,” adds the businessman.

A second chance at gifts
Christmas stockings – a classic Christmas gift that often ages poorly in the wardrobe. But no problem: after the holidays, before the new year starts, is a good time to donate goods to Caritas.

“The Carla stores are a very good option if you give away clothes that you don’t like or don’t fit and you don’t want or can’t exchange them,” says Lukas Kreimer from Caritas Graz-Seckau. In Styria, 33 Carla’s and more than 100 clothing containers are open all year round. In addition to clothing, toys, books and small electrical appliances can also be donated. The only condition: they must be things “that you would pass on to a friend without hesitation, and that are not dirty or broken,” Kreimer explains. The in-kind donations then end up at the centers in Graz and Upper Styria, where they are unpacked, sampled, categorized and distributed to second-hand shops.

In general, however, it is important to keep consumption to a minimum, even when giving gifts. The idea of ​​Caritas: intangible gifts that cannot collect dust on the shelf. In the online shop “Giving with Meaning” you will find various donation options in the form of a gift. “Goats and donkeys are very popular and serve as a source of livelihood for families in our project countries,” says Kreimer. “You will receive a card as proof of this.”