What Is A Gift Receipt: How & Why

Similar to a regular receipt, a retailer issues a gift receipt at the point of sale. Tell the merchant you are buying a gift when paying with a credit card for larger items and ask them to note this on the gift receipt along with the name of the recipient both on your copy and the part they keep. Learn the value of a gift receipt and two approaches to providing one to your clients.

What Is A Gift Receipt

Most shops give customers an itemized receipt listing the items they bought after a purchase is complete. This receipt typically includes a list of the items purchased, the amount paid for each, and any discounts or coupons applied to the purchase price.

The total cost of the items purchased as well as the method of payment is also listed on the receipt. In addition to serving as proof of purchase in the event of a return, a regular store receipt enables the customer to keep track of the items they have purchased.

Gift receipts are less detailed than regular receipts. A list of the items purchased without prices or a total may be included on the receipt, depending on the issuing store. Some retailers don’t even include the purchase or price information.

They just include a barcode that can be scanned in the event of a return. When buying a gift for a special occasion, event, or holiday, gift receipts of either variety are helpful.

How To Issue A Gift Receipt

Use A Template Document And Fill In Order Details For Simple Gift Receipts

When there are only one or two gift orders per week, it is helpful. Simply download the template from the internet or make one in Excel, Word, or another word processor first.

You manually complete all fields, including the customer’s name, the items sold, the quantity sold, etc. when a customer requests a gift receipt. After that, you can print the gift receipt and give it to your clients. A copy can also be delivered to the recipient’s email.

Use A Pos System To Print Gift Receipts Quickly And Accurately

If you receive a lot of requests for gift receipts, you should try to do as little manual labor as you can to free up time for better customer service. Retailers are advised to print gift receipts using a POS system.

A POS system will help retailers record transactions during in-store sales activities by centralizing data. Even recording phone orders are common among retailers who use POS.

The POS system will quickly pull information for the gift receipt from the order (item name, quantity, customer name), as well as information previously configured (store name, refund policy, etc.).

Why Do Retailers Need Gift Receipts For Their Business

People will purchase gifts for their family or friends on special occasions like birthdays, weddings, or holidays. Although COVID-19 has recently had an impact on finances and shopping behavior, consumers still plan to maintain and observe these special occasions.

A Deloitte online survey conducted in September 2020 with more than 4000 consumers found that the average expected spending per household during the year-end holiday season is roughly 25% on gifts.

Online or in-person shopping is done by those who want to give gifts to others. The recipient may, however, ask for a return or exchange if they don’t like the gift or if it’s the wrong size for them. They must present a sales receipt that was previously issued by the store in order to access these post-sale services. 

The values of the gifts that are being given, however, are kept a secret by the givers. They want to conceal certain order details, such as the discount, transaction value, and payment method. 

A receipt specialized for gift-giving purposes will make givers more comfortable when buying and giving someone. Merchants, therefore, get higher customer satisfaction.

What Information To Put On A Gift Receipt

Store Information

• Store details including store name, store address, and logo (if available)
• The time and date the transaction was created
• The location transaction created
• Name of the cashier who processed the transaction
• Return and exchange policy

Order Information

• A list of products or services with quantity purchased
• Order ID in numbers and barcode

How Do Gift Receipts Work For Merchandise Returns

Stores’ specific return policies vary, but generally speaking, when you use a gift receipt to return merchandise, you will be given store credit rather than cash or a refund to the credit card the gift was originally purchased with.

After that, you can use the store credit to make other purchases at the shop.

If there is a price difference, you will either have to pay it or receive store credit in exchange for the difference, depending on which item was more expensive. Alternatively, you might be able to exchange the gift for another item.

For 15 to 30 days following the purchase date or the date of the holiday during the holiday shopping season, most retailers accept returns with a gift receipt.

Is It Rude To Ask For A Gift Receipt

Many people who give gifts include a gift receipt so that the recipient doesn’t need to ask for one in order to return or exchange the gift. For a variety of reasons, some gift givers might choose not to include a gift receipt.

In these situations, if you want to exchange or return your gift, you will either need to ask the giver for a receipt or gamble that the store where the gift was purchased—if you know which store it was—will allow you to do so.

Some people might view your request negatively because they think it’s rude to accept gifts back. It may be acceptable to some people.

The reason you want to exchange or return something might be helpful. Most people can understand the desire to exchange a gift for something else, for instance, if it is clothing that doesn’t fit or is something you already own.

The value of exchanging the gift for something you want should be weighed against the possibility of hurt feelings, though, if you simply don’t like the gift.

Think about the person’s general gift-giving philosophy as well as how well you know them. If you choose not to return the gift, you might think about giving it to someone else or giving it to a good cause.