ROLE: You are a customer service lead for small local shops. You know the week after Christmas brings the same handful of return questions over and over, and that the shop that answers them calmly and consistently keeps the customer even when the answer is no. Your job: turn my real policy into replies my whole team can use, without promising anything my policy doesn't allow. INPUTS (fill in what you know; leave a blank empty rather than guess): - Business: {business} (e.g., Hometown Gift & Decor, a home decor and gift shop at 400 E Main St in downtown Round Rock, TX) - Our return window (days, and from purchase or delivery): {return window} - Condition rules (tags, packaging, unused): {condition rules} - Receipt or proof of purchase rules: {receipt rules} - What we can't take back (sale items, gift cards, personalized, food, etc.): {final sale items} - How refunds work (original payment, store credit, how long it takes): {refund method} - How exchanges work: {exchange method} - Any holiday extension (for example, gifts bought after a certain date can come back until a later date): {holiday extension} - How customers start a return (in store, email, website): {how to start} - Our hours for the week after Christmas: {hours} - Our tone in three words: {tone} PROCESS: 1. Policy in Plain English: rewrite {return window}, {condition rules}, {receipt rules}, {final sale items}, {refund method} and {exchange method} as 5 to 7 short bullet points a customer can read in 20 seconds. If two inputs contradict each other, flag it at the top instead of picking one. 2. Reply Set: for each situation below, write an in-person line (what to say at the counter, 1 to 3 sentences) and a text/email version (under 400 characters): a. "I don't have a receipt." b. "It was a gift. Can I exchange it?" c. "I want to return a sale item." d. "Can I get cash for this gift card?" e. "I bought it 6 weeks ago." f. "It arrived damaged." g. "Can I just get store credit?" Answer each one using only my policy. Where the policy says no, say no kindly, then offer the one thing we can do. If my policy doesn't cover a situation, write (decide your policy for this) instead of inventing one. 3. The Escalation Line: one sentence any team member can say when a customer gets upset and the answer is still no, plus when to hand it to the owner or manager. 4. Counter Sign: under 40 words, readable from 6 feet away, covering the window, receipts and final sale items. 5. Website and Google Business Snippet: 2 to 3 sentences for the website FAQ and a Google Business post (under 300 characters) so people know the rules before they drive over. OUTPUT FORMAT: Headings exactly: Policy in Plain English, Reply Set, The Escalation Line, Counter Sign, Website and Google Business Snippet. QUALITY CHECKS (run before answering): - Every rule, time frame and exception comes from my inputs. Never invent an extension, a restocking fee, a store-credit option or a cash refund. - Re-check that the counter sign, the snippets and every reply give the same window and the same exceptions. - No blaming the customer, no "per our policy" robot voice, no sarcasm. - If {hours} is empty, write (add your hours) wherever hours would go.
Tip: fill in the {brackets}
Swap every highlighted bit for your real details before you paste. The more specific you are, the less generic the answer.
Turns your actual return policy into a one-page plain-English summary and a set of short, friendly replies for the questions you'll get 40 times between Dec 26 and mid-January, in both in-person script and text/email versions, plus a sign for the counter.
Set it up by Dec 21 so your whole team has the same answers before Dec 26. Christmas 2026 is a Friday, so Saturday, Dec 26 is the first big returns day.
Example inputs (the shop's name, address, product types and its return rules come from Hometown Gift & Decor's own website and posted refund policy; the holiday extension, store-credit answer and post-Christmas hours are left blank to show how the prompt handles gaps, not the shop's real decisions): - Business: Hometown Gift & Decor, 400 E Main St, Round Rock, TX - Return window: 14 days after receiving the item - Condition rules: same condition as received, unworn or unused, with tags, in original packaging - Receipt rules: receipt or proof of purchase required - Final sale: sale items, gift cards, perishables, custom or personalized items, personal care items - Refund method: back to the original payment method within 10 business days of approval - Exchange method: return the item, then make a separate purchase - Holiday extension: (blank) - How to start: email admin@shophometowntx.com - Hours: (blank) - Tone: warm, local, straightforward Example output (from a test run of the prompt above, trimmed): Policy in Plain English - You have 14 days after you receive an item to return it. - It needs to be unused, with tags, in its original packaging. - Bring your receipt or proof of purchase. - Sale items, gift cards, food, personalized pieces and personal care items are final sale. - Refunds go back to your original payment within 10 business days of approval. - Want something different? Return it, then buy the new item. Reply Set a. No receipt In person: "I'm sorry, we do need a receipt or proof of purchase for returns. If the gift giver can forward their email receipt or bank charge, we can take care of it right away." Text: Thanks for reaching out! We need a receipt or proof of purchase to process a return. A forwarded email receipt or a photo of the card charge works. Send it to admin@shophometowntx.com and we'll help from there. b. It was a gift In person: "Happy to help. If you have the gift receipt or the giver's proof of purchase, we'll return it and you can pick out something you love." ... d. Gift card for cash In person: "Gift cards are final sale, so we can't turn them into cash, but they're good on anything in the shop. Want a hand finding something?" e. Bought 6 weeks ago In person: "Our return window is 14 days, so we can't take this one back. I'm sorry about that." (decide your policy for this: any holiday extension) g. Store credit instead (decide your policy for this) The Escalation Line "I hear you, and I wish I could. I can't change the policy at the counter, but I'll pass your details to the owners today." Hand it off if the customer asks twice or the item is over $100. Counter Sign Returns within 14 days with receipt. Unused, tags on, original packaging. Sale items, gift cards and personalized pieces are final sale. Thank you, neighbors! Website and Google Business Snippet Holiday gift not quite right? Bring it back within 14 days with your receipt, unused and tagged, and we'll make it easy. Downtown Round Rock, (add your hours). Note: this example shows what the prompt produces. Hometown Gift & Decor's name, address and return rules are from its own website; the scripts, escalation threshold and blanks are test samples, not the shop's actual service practices.
The prompt won't invent a rule for you. It writes (decide your policy for this) so you make the call before Dec 26, not at the counter with a line out the door.
No. Every answer gets a short in-person line and a text version, and the prompt bans the "per our policy" robot voice. When the answer is no, it says no kindly and offers the one thing you can do instead.
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A customer says our price for {service} (e.g., a sod installation (e.g., for a landscaping company in Georgetown, TX)) is too high. Write a friendly reply that explains the value, offers {option, e.g. smaller package/payment plan}, and doesn't sound defensive. Under 100 words.
4–6 prompts that actually work in your inbox, every Tuesday. No fluff.
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