Picture this: it’s Christmas morning and you open up a present from your grandmother and pull out an ugly sweater that you would never be caught dead wearing in public. Of course you smile, say thank you and put it on, but what you don’t tell grandma is that it’s going right back to the store.

If you’re lucky, grandma will include a gift receipt.

Future Shop Communications Manager, Elliott Chun says the store recommends giving the gift receipt.

“They’re a great idea to give the recipient options,” said Chun. “Especially if they receive the same gift twice. I think we’ve all been in that situation before at one point in our lives.”

If you are the receiver of a bad gift, you may want to consider the store return policies. But some seasonal stores, like the Calendar Club, which pop up in malls only around the holidays might be gone before you can return your item.

Dale Herchenroder, Calendar Club manager at Lime Ridge Mall, says the store usually closes in mid to late January, but they try their best to be helpful with returns.

“As long as the costumer hasn’t opened it and they have their receipt they can return or exchange it,” said Herchenroder. “There are exceptions where they opened it up or it doesn’t fit, we kind of take it with a grain of salt and we usually end up giving them the money back because the whole idea is to make sure the customer is happy.”

According to the 2011 study by MarketTools, these are the top five most returned gifts after the holidays:

1. Clothing & shoes
2. Toys, games & hobbies
3. Consumer electronics
4. Kitchen and bath
5. Beauty & cosmetics, and jewelry & watches

If you think back to a gift you gave last year and can’t recall seeing it worn or used since, brace yourself because you might be a giver of bad presents. When you’re out shopping this year, think about your ugly sweater from grandma, and consider getting the gift receipt.