BILLINGS - The National Retail Federation (NRF) expected in-person Christmas shopping to increase slightly.
Whether you love to shop or not, sometimes it's best to come into the store when buying clothing.
“The right fit and color, the same quality as it looks like online,” said Theresa Ohl who helped her husband shop at Jasons Clothing for Men in West Billings.
The Ohls are from Bridger, and Theresa says it seems like more people are shopping in person in small towns, and she likes the old-time shopping.
“Customer service is a big thing,” Ohl said. “I like the small like mom-and-pop type shops. Just seems to be better customer service.”
The NRF projected that 157.2 million customers would shop the Saturday before Christmas, almost an 11% increase over last year, and there would be a slight increase with less than half shopping in stores.
Sheldon Alweis carries on the tradition at Jasons that started with his grandfather in the early 1900s.
“You’ve got try it on,” said Alweis, who is one of the partners in Jasons. “And once you try it on, they're happy. So it's all good.”
The day after Christmas is a busy one for brick-and-mortar stores, with many making holiday exchanges and returns.
The NRF estimates stores lost more than $100 billion in return scams last year on returns of $743 billion.
That's prompted some major retailers like Amazon to begin charging return fees on some items, and others like Target and REI even limiting some customers from making returns.
“Even some of our big box stores or your big national chains are charging for returns,” said Linda Brooks, Something Chic owner. “This is not something I've actually ever entertained.”
“If it's not right for them, it's not right for us,” Alweis said. “And we want to be right.
A survey shows that 59% say a limited return policy would deter them from making some purchases.
“Shopping here locally is that, hey, I can take the package that I bought right back to the store," said Nathan Hirsch. "And you know what the return policy is rather than dealing with trying to get it shipped back to wherever you bought it from.
A perk of in-person shopping during the week when local retailers depend on that traffic.
“You get that human connection, which you can't get when you're just clicking a button online,” Hirsch said.
