When Returning Products Demonstrates Confidence

Cyber Monday is coming back.  Only this time, it’s a Thursday.

Maybe you burnt a bridge with someone who you purchased a gift for, maybe whatever you ordered no longer fits because in addition to layering your clothes for cold weather, you’ve also been layering your meals with a block of cheddar cheese…or maybe you just flat out purchased in haste and made a mistake.  Whatever the reason, ‘Boomerang Thursday’ is in recognition of your mistakes.

Yesterday Bizreport.com announced that one in 20 people who purchased gifts on or around Cyber Monday expect to return at least one of their purchases prior to the Christmas holiday.  This coming Thursday, December 9th, is typically the kickoff day for those returns.  Hence the apropos ‘Boomerang Thursday.’

The high number of returns is no cause for alarm though, it actually demonstrates increased consumer confidence in online retailers’ ability to have consumers’ replacement items in stock and ready to be delivered prior to Christmas.  But just like Ebenezer Scrooge, your holiday mistakes could come back to bite you.  With wintry weather and the holiday season comes increased delivery time expectations as well as a high volume of consumers who may have made the same kinds of ordering mistakes you did (minus the gluttonous layering of cheese).

That being said, if you think that you may end up having to return a product that you ordered recently, it’s best to look for a retailer that has an easy to understand and clearly outlined returns policy.  It may also be best to look for one with free return shipping and affordable, speedy delivery rates.  If you’re on the lookout for retailers with excellent shipping and delivery policies and practices just in time for the holidays, look no further than our Holiday Guide.  These retailer’s policies will leave you so pleased that you’ll be returning from whence you came, just like…a planet in orbit?  a dog playing fetch?  a sailor returning to port?  Either way, you get the idea.

Cyber Monday Comes Early-Where to Get the Deals

Links to products available online are listed below the ad!

Don’t be that guy who got run over on Black Friday last year, and don’t be the bully that pushes pregnant ladies into X-Boxes! Since Black Friday is arriving early this year, that means Cyber Monday (the Monday after Black Friday occurring on November 29th this year) is arriving early too, so you can shop online and save yourself a lawsuit. KMart, BestBuy, and Sears already had “Better than Black Friday” sales, but retailers are continuing to release Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals before the turkey is basted.

Black-Friday.net collects and posts the latest Black Friday fliers as soon as they’re released; the latest is posted right at the top! What’s more, click on the link for the ad and scroll down to view the items available for purchase online (see the screen shot, left).

But first! Oh, first do make sure that retailer is in the STELLAshopper Holiday Guide! You can find special STELLA coupon codes and click the seal to view a snapshot of the customer service quality of each retailer-only the best even make it into the Holiday Guide! You can also view which companies will gift wrap your items (perfect if you’re sending them straight to a friend), which offer free returns, and other helpful metrics like email response time.

Happy Holidays!

The STELLAshopper Holiday Guide

STELLAService and Mr. T. Have You Covered For Mother’s Day

Hey there STELLA shoppers!

There’s still over a week left to buy Mom something for her big day next Sunday, May 9th. With so many online retailers selling the typical mother’s day gifts- flowers, gift baskets, jewelry, etc.- it’s vital to know which sites stand by their promise of excellent customer service.

We started our Mother’s Day shopping early and purchased over 100 bouquets, rings, pendants, chocolates, and gift baskets while collecting over 10,000 customer service-related data points to evaluate the website usability, shipping and returns, and customer support of 33 of the most popular Mother’s Day destination sites in the country.

We took all this information and created the STELLAService Mothers Day Shopping Guide will give you insight into what sites to avoid (flowers in a box?!) and which ones to shop ’til you drop (free shipping no matter the cost!). You can also find the report on our STELLAService website.

Shopping to please moms everywhere,
STELLA Shopper