Throngs of people surged into a Wal-Mart store in Hagerstown, Maryland, early in the morning after Christmas, trying to return unwanted gifts. Employees unlocked the front doors of the store at 6:00 A.M. on “returns day” only to be inundated by a massive crowd that had assembled outside. More than 900 people quickly mobbed the store’s service counter in an event that both overwhelmed and frightened store workers. Local police were summoned to help direct traffic and control crowds which were, for the most part, relatively peaceful. Fortunately, no injuries were reported in the fracas, which is in stark contrast to the fatal trampling incident that marred a Black Friday opening at a New York Wal-Mart last month.

Some customers had to wait in line as long as 3 hours before reaching the returns counter. In response to the overwhelming demand, store managers hastily reassigned checkout clerks and stock room employees to help out at the counter. Only two checkout lanes remained open, and those saw very little purchasing activity during the day.

Customers were enthusiastic about their exchanges.

“My dad gave me this diamond solitaire pendant,” exclaimed one unidentified young woman. “Giving me the receipt along with it was the greatest Christmas present ever, as I’ll be able to get 850 dollars back. Thanks, daddy…you’re the greatest!”

“I just got a Nano 4G from my big sister in Cleveland…now I have three of them,” said a teenage boy who was standing patiently in line. “I have receipts for two of the Nanos, so here I am. I can use the money for a new iPhone and maybe enough left over for a few games.”

While a few customers without receipts had to settle for credit checks, the vast majority brought in items to obtain cash back. Store management had called in three armored trucks during the day to replenish cash reserves at the counter. By the end of the day, the Hagerstown Wal-Mart showed a negative cash flow of nearly $230,000.

“This has been a successful day-after-Christmas,” said a beaming store manager. “Usually we pull in 150K, maybe 180K worth of returned merchandise on a December 26th. This was our best returns day ever in the 11 years the Hagerstown store has been in business. People know they can count on coming to Wal-Mart to return the things they don’t like.”