Clark Howard says retailers are cracking down on returns

This is not the Christmas shopping season of many happy returns.

That's the word from KRMG consumer warrior Clark Howard.

Clark says it is a traditional thing for people to give you Christmas gift but guess wrong about what you really want. Clark says, "They may think you really wanted those plaid pants and you may not want to be caught anywhere in plaid."

The problem, according to Clark, is when you go to return the unwanted item without a gift receipt.

Clark says the problem is internal theft that is out-of-control which has retailers cracking down.

The best bet, according to Clark, is to try and return items before January 10th to avoid difficulty returning the item.