The fact is that not every purchase can boomerang its way back to every store, even when you have the receipts.

So what are your refund rights?

There was a time you could return any product in its original condition at any time to Myer, no questions asked. But wow the clock's ticking - you have just 30 days after purchase to get a refund.

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Myer's general manager of corporate affairs, Jo Lynch defends the move.

"All we've done recently is clarify what is a reasonable time frame for someone to return a product," Lynch said.

Since 2007 you've needed a receipt, and now the policy has been tightened even further.

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"The bulk of our returns were already within 30 days, so it just gave our teams members, particularly, as well as our customers, clarity," she said.

According to David Jones general manager of store operations Aaron Faraguna "we have a very customer friendly returns policy at David Jones, you can shop with confidence."

David Jones is sticking with the golden age-old policy - returns at any time after purchase, as long as the product is in its original condition and you have the receipt.

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Faraguna is proud of their offering. "We also treat our returns as an opportunity to interact with our customers rather than a cost to the business."

According to Consumer Law Action Centre's Dan Simpson "there are a range of retail return policies in Australia. Some offer returns up to 30 days, some won't let you return something at all if it's just because you've changed your mind."

'Boomerang buys' or unwanted gifts most commonly occur after Christmas, and Simpson says you should know your rights as a customer. "Consumers need to remember that if a product is faulty or damaged, if it doesn't do what it's meant to do, they have a legal right to a refund. If they just change their mind they're not necessarily going to get their money back."

Customers shopping at Cotton On have fourteen days to make their return with a receipt, and online purchases can't be returned. Kmart give customers with a receipt 28 days, and it's the same online. Target has no time restriction and IKEA will accept returns within 90 days, as long as the product is not assembled.

Just Jeans accepts refunds within 21 days of purchase, Sportsgirl within just fourteen days of purchase, and personal items, underwear, swimwear, perishable items or opened products typically cannot be returned.

Myer has extended its 30 day time frame for Christmas gifts - items bought from now until December can be returned right up until the end January.

• Myer - www.myer.com.au
• David Jones - www.davidjones.com.au
• Cotton On - www.shop.cottonon.com
• Kmart - www.kmart.com.au
• Target - www.target.com.au
• IKEA - www.ikea.com
• Just Jeans - www.justjeans.com.au
• Sportsgirl - www.sportsgirl.com.au

This reporter is on Twitter at @LyndaKinkade