After Christmas: There is no large wave of returns - one gift is particularly popular

Created: 01/09/2023, 2:30 p.m

By: Franziska Konrad

Returns after Christmas: With Sabine Zeilinger (right) in the Wolfratshausen perfumery Wiedemann, this has rarely happened.

© Sabine Hermsdorf-Hiss

Christmas is over.

Everyday life has returned.

But are stores now being flooded with the return of unpopular gifts?

Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen – squeaky-colored socks, a jumper that is the wrong size or an expensive bottle of wine for a beer drinker: Christmas and the stress of finding the supposedly perfect present are now a thing of the past.

But has everyday life returned to the shops?

Or are sellers overwhelmed with returns of unloved gifts?

Our newspaper asked around in the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen.

Big wave of returns after Christmas?

Vouchers increasingly popular

"It's going ok.

A little something was of course exchanged.

Above all, things that ended up under the Christmas tree twice”: This is the conclusion of Sandra Machka, employee at the Krömer toy store in Tölz.

Along with Lego and Schleich animal figures, vouchers were pretty high on the popularity scale for gifts.

"We sold a lot of them," reports Machka.

"That's why there's a lot going on here in the shop - thank God," she adds after a short pause and smiles contentedly.

However, in the first week of January, during the holiday season, Krömer is “actually always” busy.

"Fortunately, a few tourists join our regular customers," says Machka.

“Good things going on” was also in the Wiedemann perfumery in Wolfratshausen in the first days of the new year.

One reason for this is obvious to team leader Sabine Zeilinger: "We sold a lot of vouchers and the first ones have already been redeemed."

Christmas gifts in Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen: A novel in a bookstore is in great demand

However, there is no conspicuous group of voucher buyers – such as the desperate husband.

"They include women and men across the board," says Zeilinger.

So far, there have hardly been any returns in the Obermarkt store.

"We gave our customers good advice," explains the team leader with a wink.

By the way: Everything from the region is now also available in our regular Wolfratshausen-Geretsried newsletter.

There was probably also competent advice in the bookstore Rupprecht in Bad Tölz.

A novel that was in particularly high demand there before Christmas was "A Question of Chemistry" by Bonnie Garmus.

By the festival of festivals, the book had been sold "around 30 times" over the counter, says employee Christine Gassl.

"That's a lot for such a short time.

Normally we sell a lot of different things.” Keyword vouchers and exchanges: the tenor here in the bookshop is similar to that in the other shops: few returns, many vouchers.

Gaßl and her colleagues still have enough to do.

"You can just tell that people really want to go shopping again."

After Corona year 2022: Christmas business in department store "much better"

In general, there were only a few returns at Sport Sepp in Lenggries.

"If grandparents need a gift for their grandchildren, for example, they usually come with a very precise idea - and know the right size," says Manuela Schlosser.

If you are unsure, you can use a voucher in the sports shop if in doubt.

"We sold a few of them," confirms the boss.

The redemption is very different: "Some come full of anticipation right after Christmas, others just wait and see - or make it dependent on the weather."

The Isar department store in Geretsried has prepared well for the exchange of gifts.

Managing Director Frederik Holthaus emphasizes how important the return offer is for his business.

Especially when the clothes under the Christmas tree don't fit or don't please the recipient.

All in all, the Christmas business in the department store was “much better” than in 2021. Frederik Holthaus remembers: “Back then we had to check every customer for 2G, masks were compulsory and the incidence was over 1000. Luckily it is that's over now."

You can find even more current news from the region around Wolfratshausen at Merkur.de/Wolfratshausen.