Just giving credit where credit is due...
I wanted to buy a MacBook Pro as a graduation gift for my daughter. It was on-sale at Best Buy a few weeks ago so I called and asked about their return policy. I am pretty sure that I know exactly which model she wants, but I don't want to make a $1300 mistake and be stuck with the wrong model.
When he told me that the return policy was 15 days, I mentioned that it was on sale for just that week, but her graduation wasn't for another 20+ days. He said that if I buy it for the sale price, wait a week or so, then ask nicely at the store, they just might allow me to return it and then buy it right back - for the same sale price. This would extend the return period past the graduation date. He couldn't out-right promise me that they would do it, but he said that the stores do have some leeway regarding returns, "if you know what I mean."
Lo and behold, it worked! The customer service clerk let me return it and buy it back at the same price. He coded it as an "exchange" so I can return it after the graduation just in case I bought the wrong model.
I'm a satisfied customer. Way to go Best Buy!