MONROE -- With the advent of the gift receipt, the season of giving is usually followed by the season of returning and exchanging.

Most often, people want to exchange for different sizes or colors, said Bill Walker, general manager of Kmart in Monroe.

But if shoppers make certain preparations, they can ensure the holiday spirit isn’t completely sucked out of them while they stand in the customer service line.

“Having the receipt is 90 percent of it,” said James Head, a manager at the Wesley Chapel Target.

The Better Business Bureau also provided some advice:

• Don’t remove electronics or similar products from their boxes because the original packaging may be required for a return.

• Some merchants charge a restocking or “open box” fee for returns of electronics or large items.

•Read the retailer’s return policy before you purchase products to make sure you can get a refund, exchange or store credit for unwanted items.

• Understand what the return policies are for on-sale and clearance items, which may be different than items sold at full price.

• Look for return policies when buying online or from catalogs.

Head said the day after Christmas is usually a busy day for returns but that his store wasn’t seeing a spike Saturday.

“They’re probably waiting because they think it’s going to be a really busy day today,” he said. “It’ll probably be spread out over the week.”