Exclusive | Returning a holiday gift? Big retail stores will now charge you for that as much as $45

Hassle-free returns might be a thing of the past.You might want to reconsider returning that pile of unwanted gifts sitting under your tree because major retailers, like Macy’s and Zara, are charging fees for holiday gift returns.

Which means that the hideous, itchy sweater Aunt Suzy excitedly gifted you this year may actually cost you more to give back than to keep.The good news is that in-store returns remain free — but if you plan to take the lazy way out by mailing something back, even if it’s unopened and in perfect condition, it’ll cost you.Macy’s is charging displeased customers a $9.99 fee if they’re not a Stars Rewards Member, and sister stores T.J.Maxx and Marshalls are hitting their customers with an $11.99 return charge.JCPenney, J.

Crew, Abercrombie & Fitch, H&M, Zara, American Eagle Outfitters, UNIQLO and Urban Outfitters are being less Scrooge-like with their return fees, with a more nominal range from $3.99 to $8.Large online retailers like Amazon are even toughening up by charging a fee — which can vary depending on the returned item — if you don’t use their box-free, label-free, in-person drop-off option.Even if you use a gift receipt to rid an unwanted gift, you’re not safe from the wrath of return fees: retailers will simply deduct them from your store credit.So what’s causing this tightwad behavior from stores? “This [return fees] started happening a couple of years ago, I think, because people were taking advantage.We saw a big lift in online shopping throughout the pandemic, and retailers who initially said, ‘Oh, we’ll pay for the shipping back,’ all of a sudden, it started becoming egregious,” smart-shopping expert Trae Bodge told The Post.Understandably, these strict policies are frustrating shoppers, with many taking to social media to bash stores like Marshalls and T.J.

Maxx for charging return fees that cost the same as some of their products.What customers don’t realize is that processing a re...