In Retail Sixty Days Can Seem Like Two Years

(The company I work for has been around for a few decades, but about two years ago it underwent a name change and rebranding effort. The whole store looks different, to accommodate the name change and new logo, including the outdoor nameplate. The two names are not remotely similar, but the store is in the same location. We also have a 60 day return policy. I am manning the registers when a customer comes in with a bag with the old logo.)

Customer: “Hi, I’d like to return this, please, but I don’t have my receipt.”

Me: “Okay, we can look it up on your card to see if it’ll show up.”

(I haven’t yet seen the bag fully at this point, so I hadn’t noticed the old logo. We try both of his cards, but can’t find any transactions, so I call over my manager to see about getting store credit. Then he puts the items on the counter.)

Manager: “Oh, these are [Old Store Name] bags and barcode labels. We changed name about two years ago, and we have a sixty-day return policy.”

Customer: “Really? I can’t even get in-store credit for them?”

Manager: “Unfortunately, no.”

Customer: “Oh… okay, I guess. Can I leave them up here while I do my shopping?”

(We held the bag up at the front while he shopped, and he ended up only buying a water. I can’t see how he let this stuff sit in his home or car, in the original bag, for well over two years before he finally got around to returning it.)