Gift with purchase - return or keep?

Are gifts with purchase required to be returned if you return the original item?

  • Yes - can you say stealing?

  • No - gift means gift.

  • Depends - I will expand on this.

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ima_ailurophile

ima_ailurophile

cat lover =^..^=
O.G.
Nov 23, 2006
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#1
I think we've beat to the death :btdh: the Sephora ethical/sanitary sampling question, so here's a new one. ;)

Cosmetic/beauty gifts with purchase:

Are they required to be returned if you return the original product purchased?

Does the type of gift matter, e.g., brand specific (buy a Chanel perfume, get a special Chanel item free) or general (spend a certain amount at Sephora, get the beauty box sampler free)?

I have noticed on occasion there is a disclaimer (couldn't give you specifics at this point) that an account will be charged for the retail value of the "freebie" if the original product is returned, but I don't see that much.

Please discuss. :lecture:
 
#2
Oh wow, I've never heard of having to return the gift with purchase or being charged for its value if you don't bring it back when you return the original product?

Isn't that's why it's called a "gift with purchase" - ??
 
#4
I never even considered returning a GWP item if i return something.. I not much of a returner though.. I cant see why they would want it back exp if you have used it ect. KWIM? Good question though..
 
#6
I wouldn't dream of keeping the GWP if I returned an item that I bought as part of the promotion!
I'm amazed at how liberal some of the stores seem to be in the US... if you return an item, you no longer have part of the original purchase that led to the original qualification so IMHO, ethically, it should be also returned.

The only situation I would make an exception is that if it's a minimum $50 pruchase to get the gift and you bought $100 of products and returned something so that the total is still above the minimum, then I would keep the GWP.
 
#7
It is called a gift with purchase.
If you returned what you bought in order to obtain your GWP, then you never made a purchase!
Its as simple as that. Otherwise they would call it a FREE gift with no purchase necessary.

Most stores will expect you to return the GWP. The return of the GWP has nothing to do with hygiene as it has to do with inventory and shrinkage control. Returned cosmetics are not supposed to be redistributed.:nogood:

In my experience, if staff were handing out GWP's and then their customers "return" the purchased item and keep the GWP, then the staff would be seen as giving away free product. Which in turn is seen as internal shrinkage (theft).

A GWP is a purchase incentive. It is not a FREEBIE just for showing up at the counter. Those are called SAMPLES.:p
 
#8
I said "Depends," because although no, it is not REQUIRED to return it, it is tacky to keep it IMO. It would never occur to me to buy something for the gpw, then return. I just don't think that way...
 
#11
Ditto the lovley Beauty Bar tPFers. I like the shrinkage explanation. I rarely if ever receive gifts with purchase anymore (hello MAC), but if I do and have to return the purchased item, I return the gift too.
 
#12
I'd return if they asked but so far I never got asked. Many times the SA say I can keep the freebie. Sephora and Macys that's where I returned my items. Don't know about other stores.
 
#13
Do you think the same rules apply to samples with purchase? For instance, recently Estee Lauder offered five free deluxe samples/travel sizes (you choose items) with a $30 purchase. If you return the item purchased, do you return the samples? Are samples the same as a specific gift with purchase?
 
#15
No I don't believe samples need to be returned.

Once I took my samples with me to Sephora when I had a return and they said to keep them.
 
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