Morning Edition; Father's Day Scam

It's more the addition on KRPS, I'm Fred Fletcher-Fierro. Father's Day is right around the corner. The National Retail Federation predicts spending for Father's Day to reach more than $20.1 billion dollars this year, with Americans spending an average of $174 per person. Also, at least 40% of those Father's Day gifts will be purchased online. Recently, I spoke with Stephanie Arlin of the Better Business Bureau, who says to pay attention to story-term policies because they've likely changed due to the pandemic. What we're wanting people to watch out for, though, is if you're buying a gift for Dad or Grandpa, make sure that you're being careful when you buy gift cards or gift certificates. Make sure you are reading the fine print, you understand the terms and conditions, and you are checking the expiration date. Make sure you also have a back-up plan. Before you purchase, you've got another company's return policy in the complaint process. There has been a lot of changes this past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the changes have done with how gift cards are given to people, and how gift certificates are given, and how long they last,

and are they returnable in all these things? Well, gift cards may be your go-to when getting a last-minute gift for Dad or Grandpa. Stephanie says that you should really understand the fine print, such as expiration dates on gift cards. Also, if there are any limitations or exclusions to using that, rather than purchasing a gift card for our major retailer, consider purchasing one from a local retailer or store, keeping your money in the local economy while getting your father a great gift. A lot of times, there are thousands of dollars of gift cards every year that go unused. So, perhaps instead of doing that, or if you're going to not get a gift card, maybe get something special, like a picture of you and Dad or something really sweet together. But if you are going to get a gift card, perhaps consider shopping with a BBV, a credited local business in your area that you can go in person and buy it and support your community. But you know what, we want to make sure that you know, first of all, by reading the company's return policy and the complaint process, is something goes wrong and you're not satisfied, you know what to do next.

Another benefit of shopping local retailers, whether it's getting a gift card or items, is that it's likely the gift is local, and therefore you don't have to worry about shipping or handling. Whether you're going to go to the farmer's market, or you're going to go local downtown Joplin is beautiful. You just want to walk around. It's supposed to be some nice weather, I understand. So, you know, now could be a great time for you to go back and about, as we're getting out and about, seeing people, hugging people again. Now could be a great time for you to support your local small businesses. And of course, small businesses are the background of America. They're the backbone of Better Business Bureau. And we definitely want for you to support them. Now, was Stephanie Garland, regional director of the Better Business Bureau in Springfield, Missouri, you can find out more information about our chat about Father's Day, at our news blog, krpsnews.com.