Talk of the Town: Oh, those sales

(To the tune of Jingle Bells)

Dashing through the mall,

At the after Christmas sale.

The prices are all slashed.

I’m really turning pale.

I paid full price for clothes,

I paid full price for shoes.

And now they’re marked at half the cost,

I think I’ll sing the blues...

Oh, Christmas sales, Christmas sales,

What you do to me,

Everything’s a bargain,

Ho! Ho! Hee! Hee! Hee!

Now, it’s time for self control,

There’s nothing I should buy,

I’d tell you I’m not tempted, but that would be a lie!

Let’s buy!!

While we are still in the shopping mode, folks, let’s talk about those after-holiday returns.

The Santa sweater from grandma in Milwaukee isn’t your style. The jeans from your spouse make the size of your derri�re look like the state of Texas. The cowboy boots from your cousins in Albuquerque are pretty sharp, but they pinch your toes.

That’s OK, because you can return these misfit gifts and exchange them for something you really want.

Well, not so fast, pardner. Many retailers have tightened their return policies. Some have added restocking fees and expiration dates. Many have stricter exchange policies for computers, DVD players and other electronics. And if that present was bought online, you might have to pay shipping costs to return it.

Retailers have hardened their return policies to protect themselves from fraud, says Joseph LaRocca, vice president of loss prevention at the National Retail Federation. Organized criminals who used to steal items and sell them at flea markets have discovered it’s much more profitable to return the goods for cash, he says.

The NRF offers consumers these tips for stress-free returns after the holidays:

Know the retailer’s return policy before you buy. Most retailers have return policies prominently displayed, especially at this time of year. Gift-givers should read and remember them. If policies are not clearly displayed, ask a sales associate.

Save and file all receipts! Receipts are still the key to hassle-free returns. Some retailers will allow consumers to exchange merchandise without a receipt, but without a receipt, a retailer may only provide merchandise credit for the lowest markdown-price at which the item was sold in the past 30 days.

Provide all original packaging and all parts (including tags) when giving a gift. Some retailers won’t accept returns unless the item is in its original package. If you plan to take back a gift when it is unwrapped, resist the urge to open it or play with it. No one wants to buy someone else’s merchandise.

Ask for a gift receipt to make gift returns easier. These receipts contain all the necessary information to prove the items were purchased, minus the price.

Make your online returns easy! Returns are a part of shopping, no matter where you choose to shop. In addition to the other common sense rules of returns, here are a few things to find out before you purchase a gift online:

Know the process. Who pays for shipping the return??—you or the merchant? Some merchants will pick up the delivery charges for exchanges, but not for returns.

Where to make returns: Does the retailer have a physical store, and can returns or exchanges be made there? Make sure you have the correct address if you need to mail returns back to the company. Some merchants have off-site service centers that handle returns that may be in a different location from where the merchandise is sent.

Don’t delay! Consumers should plan to make returns as soon as possible after the holidays to take advantage of extended hours and extra help, and to get the best selection of merchandise for an alternate gift.

Remember, the week after Christmas is one of the busiest weeks of the retail year. With people’s frustration high and tolerance low, be patient when returning merchandise.

Retailers are also trying to crack down on “wardrobers” — shoppers who buy a special-occasion outfit, wear it to a party or wedding, try not to perspire too much and return it the next day, hoping for a refund.

The North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, a group that promotes equine facilitated therapy and activity programs in the United States and Canada, recently awarded the 2007 James Brady Professional Achievement Award to area resident Nancy McGibbon at NARHA’s national conference in Los Angeles, Nov. 17.

McGibbon is one of the founding mothers of the American Hippotherapy Association and who went on to write the initial curriculum for training therapists in thew United States.

She served as the American Hippotherapy’s first president.

Her involvement with NARHA started in the organization’s early years and has continued to the present. She has served in many capacities, including as a member of the Instructor Certification Committee, the Kellogg Grant Workshop faculty and as chair of the Research Subcommittee.

As well as being a licensed physical therapist, McGibbon is a NARHA-certified instructor and has contributed countless hours working with instructors and therapists at many different NARHA centers.

She has completed four major research projects, all measuring the effect of equine movement upon patients. All this work has helped lay a solid foundation that supports the effectiveness of therapeutic horsemanship and hippotherapy. She has earned the status of a world-renowned resource.

Therapeutic Riding of Tucson (TROT) will celebrate its 34th anniversary in 2008, founded by McGibbon and Barbara Rector.

TROT provides “hippo therapy” sessions as well as private, semi-private, and group horse-related activities for children and adults with disabilities.

The TROT instructional team includes specially trained therapeutic riding instructors, “hippo therapy” trained physical therapists, and volunteers trained in adaptive procedures

When most people are nominated for NARHA awards, a spokesperson said, the group receives two or three letters of recommendation. McGibbon received 24 letters of recommendation.

Some of the words NARHA received about McGibbon:

From Lorrie Renker, NARHA master therapeutic riding instructor:

“I can think of no one who has given as much of her intellect and tenacity to help prove the efficacy of the therapeutic and therapy benefits of the horse for humans.

She continues to strive to produce sound research in order to prove what we all know: that therapeutic horsemanship works.”

“Nancy not only exemplifies clinical excellence, but is also an outstanding researcher with exemplary critical thinking and writing abilities."

Nancy and her husband, Bill McGibbon, own the Santa Rita Ranch.

The McGibbon’s daughter, Heather Wunder, and her husband, Green Valley Fire District Battalion Chief Chuck Wunder, and their two children live locally and are proud of Nancy, too!

rford@gvnews.com | 547-9740Oh, those sales

(To the tune of Jingle Bells)

Dashing through the mall,

At the after Christmas sale.

The prices are all slashed.

I’m really turning pale.

I paid full price for clothes,

I paid full price for shoes.

And now they’re marked at half the cost,

I think I’ll sing the blues...

Oh, Christmas sales, Christmas sales,

What you do to me,

Everything’s a bargain,

Ho! Ho! Hee! Hee! Hee!

Now, it’s time for self control,

There’s nothing I should buy,

I’d tell you I’m not tempted, but that would be a lie!

Let’s buy!!

While we are still in the shopping mode, folks, let’s talk about those after-holiday returns.

The Santa sweater from grandma in Milwaukee isn’t your style. The jeans from your spouse make the size of your derri�re look like the state of Texas. The cowboy boots from your cousins in Albuquerque are pretty sharp, but they pinch your toes.

That’s OK, because you can return these misfit gifts and exchange them for something you really want.

Well, not so fast, pardner. Many retailers have tightened their return policies. Some have added restocking fees and expiration dates. Many have stricter exchange policies for computers, DVD players and other electronics. And if that present was bought online, you might have to pay shipping costs to return it.

Retailers have hardened their return policies to protect themselves from fraud, says Joseph LaRocca, vice president of loss prevention at the National Retail Federation. Organized criminals who used to steal items and sell them at flea markets have discovered it’s much more profitable to return the goods for cash, he says.

The NRF offers consumers these tips for stress-free returns after the holidays:

Know the retailer’s return policy before you buy. Most retailers have return policies prominently displayed, especially at this time of year. Gift-givers should read and remember them. If policies are not clearly displayed, ask a sales associate.

Save and file all receipts! Receipts are still the key to hassle-free returns. Some retailers will allow consumers to exchange merchandise without a receipt, but without a receipt, a retailer may only provide merchandise credit for the lowest markdown-price at which the item was sold in the past 30 days.

Provide all original packaging and all parts (including tags) when giving a gift. Some retailers won’t accept returns unless the item is in its original package. If you plan to take back a gift when it is unwrapped, resist the urge to open it or play with it. No one wants to buy someone else’s merchandise.

Ask for a gift receipt to make gift returns easier. These receipts contain all the necessary information to prove the items were purchased, minus the price.

Make your online returns easy! Returns are a part of shopping, no matter where you choose to shop. In addition to the other common sense rules of returns, here are a few things to find out before you purchase a gift online:

Know the process. Who pays for shipping the return??—you or the merchant? Some merchants will pick up the delivery charges for exchanges, but not for returns.

Where to make returns: Does the retailer have a physical store, and can returns or exchanges be made there? Make sure you have the correct address if you need to mail returns back to the company. Some merchants have off-site service centers that handle returns that may be in a different location from where the merchandise is sent.

Don’t delay! Consumers should plan to make returns as soon as possible after the holidays to take advantage of extended hours and extra help, and to get the best selection of merchandise for an alternate gift.

Remember, the week after Christmas is one of the busiest weeks of the retail year. With people’s frustration high and tolerance low, be patient when returning merchandise.

Retailers are also trying to crack down on “wardrobers” — shoppers who buy a special-occasion outfit, wear it to a party or wedding, try not to perspire too much and return it the next day, hoping for a refund.

The North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, a group that promotes equine facilitated therapy and activity programs in the United States and Canada, recently awarded the 2007 James Brady Professional Achievement Award to area resident Nancy McGibbon at NARHA’s national conference in Los Angeles, Nov. 17.

McGibbon is one of the founding mothers of the American Hippotherapy Association and who went on to write the initial curriculum for training therapists in thew United States.

She served as the American Hippotherapy’s first president.

Her involvement with NARHA started in the organization’s early years and has continued to the present. She has served in many capacities, including as a member of the Instructor Certification Committee, the Kellogg Grant Workshop faculty and as chair of the Research Subcommittee.

As well as being a licensed physical therapist, McGibbon is a NARHA-certified instructor and has contributed countless hours working with instructors and therapists at many different NARHA centers.

She has completed four major research projects, all measuring the effect of equine movement upon patients. All this work has helped lay a solid foundation that supports the effectiveness of therapeutic horsemanship and hippotherapy. She has earned the status of a world-renowned resource.

Therapeutic Riding of Tucson (TROT) will celebrate its 34th anniversary in 2008, founded by McGibbon and Barbara Rector.

TROT provides “hippo therapy” sessions as well as private, semi-private, and group horse-related activities for children and adults with disabilities.

The TROT instructional team includes specially trained therapeutic riding instructors, “hippo therapy” trained physical therapists, and volunteers trained in adaptive procedures

When most people are nominated for NARHA awards, a spokesperson said, the group receives two or three letters of recommendation. McGibbon received 24 letters of recommendation.

Some of the words NARHA received about McGibbon:

From Lorrie Renker, NARHA master therapeutic riding instructor:

“I can think of no one who has given as much of her intellect and tenacity to help prove the efficacy of the therapeutic and therapy benefits of the horse for humans.

She continues to strive to produce sound research in order to prove what we all know: that therapeutic horsemanship works.”

“Nancy not only exemplifies clinical excellence, but is also an outstanding researcher with exemplary critical thinking and writing abilities."

Nancy and her husband, Bill McGibbon, own the Santa Rita Ranch.

The McGibbon’s daughter, Heather Wunder, and her husband, Green Valley Fire District Battalion Chief Chuck Wunder, and their two children live locally and are proud of Nancy, too!

rford@gvnews.com | 547-9740