K-mart ripoff I'm stuck with a messed up car seat which I paid $49.99 regular price. Abilene Texas

That is not true, we offer a refund to you without a receipt for the lowest price on a gift card with a valid id. You just need the UPC which would be on the box or bag it came in. If you paid with a credit or debit they can find it that way as well.

I am sure if the roles were switched, you would have the same policy that Kmart does. How do they know that you A) didn't damage it yourself somehow (I am not implying that you did) or B) that you even bought it there (again, not implying that you bought it somewhere else) or C) didn't steal it (again, not implying anything here).

It is common sense and almost a necessity to keep any and all receipts in this day and age, especially on big items, such as a car seat, in order to protect yourself. Although I gotta say that 49.00 is pretty cheap for a carseat, I'm not sure how one would expect it to last 3 years - maybe you got what you paid for. Go cheap on the clothes, diapers, toys, but the one thing never to cheap out on is the carseat. There are many informational websites out there on carseats.

As any retailer you would go to, to exchange or refund money back, At the very most if you ask for a manager and have the product with the box it came in with a valid (upc) and it comes on file through the register, the very most you would have to get is store credit. This is how the k-mart stores in the northeastern region operate. Sorry to hear how k-mart stores operate in your area. But from what i was told its just standard procedure of what i had explained.

Your credit card company can provide you a "transaction" history, to show that you paid for the item at that store, and at what time. This is acceptable for many places now.

if not, you have to go through the manufaturer

I've worked in retail since I was 16, and yes, it's true that you should keep your receipts... but not all people do so... me for example sometimes lol. You think I would know better.

Anyway... Lots of places don't even take back "damaged" merchandise because they can't resell it... some do because they can get credit from the manufacturer. Either way, most places prefer you to go through the manufacturer anyhow... but be careful, also because some of them are just as horrible to go through as the store itself!

Most companies require proof of purchase for anything, whether it is for warranty, exchange, or return. I work for a different retailer and also require receipt. If a customer returns a product I ask for a receipt. NO RECEIPT NO RETURN. Contact a manufacturer for warranty claim and you will have to provide proof of purchase. That is the only way they know when and where it was purchased.

Please keep your receipts, it makes things alot easier.