The holidays are over, which means the long lines at customer service in every store - including AAFES' Exchange stores - are full of people eager to exchange or return gifts that were not what they wanted or didn't fit.

"We normally give customers the opportunity to use an item purchased at the Exchange for a reasonable period of time in order to determine if it is satisfactory or not," explained Joint Base Lewis-McChord Main Exchange store manager Scott Maynard.

Return rules are as follows: Items in new condition may be exchanged or returned with a receipt within 90 days, with the exception of certain items including jewelry and watches, camcorders, televisions, digital cameras, furniture, mattresses, major appliances and gas-powered equipment, all of which must all be returned within only 30 days. Furthermore, computers, GPS units, unopened software, CDs, DVDs and video games must be returned within 15 days.

If a customer has owned the merchandise longer than the period of time specified and experiences a problem, the manufacturer's warranty may provide protection, though it varies.

If an item is returned without a receipt, an AAFES gift card equal to the amount of the returned item is issued instead of a cash refund. The only items that are non-refundable at AAFES are gift cards or pre-paid music and wireless phone cards.