Shoppers walked into stores on Wednesday with Christmas cheer still in their hearts, and more than a few had gifts in their hands to return or exchange, as well.

The parking lots at the Harbour View East shopping center in North Suffolk were busy around 4 p.m. Shoppers at the Harbour View East Walmart lined up at customer service. Some of them had to take care of unwanted gifts.

Suffolk resident Mike Dorsey needed to exchange a wireless keyboard for an iPad. It’s a nice gift, but not the right size for the iPad in question.

“I’m going to get the same item. I’m just going to get the one that fits better,” Dorsey said as he waited in line.

Behind him in line, Carrollton resident Deloris Torres needed to return something that didn’t quite fit either. It was a pair of boots for her son that turned out to be too big for him, she said.

She wanted to come sometime in the afternoon when the store wouldn’t be so crowded. Her timing worked, as there was less than a half-dozen waiting in line with her.

“I got off early and thought it wouldn’t be so bad at an oddball time,” she said.

According to assistant manager Shawanda Perez, the line had been backed up to the restroom at one point in the day, but overall, there hadn’t been that many gift returners on Wednesday.

“I had somebody return clothes,” she said, but she didn’t see any toys. A few gift sets, perhaps, but nothing noteworthy.

At the other end of the shopping center, Kohl’s employees were working the store’s Holiday Return Center. But just like Walmart, there didn’t seem to be a rush of returns by the time the sun went down.

Kohl’s area supervisor Mike Reuter said they caught a “big break” in that Dec. 26 fell on a Wednesday this year. People working their usual hours would either come later in the evening — which offsets the midday foot traffic — or wait until the weekend to make returns.

“It’s always nice when it’s in the middle of the week,” he said.

Many shoppers don’t wait until Wednesday to exchange their gift purchases, according to area supervisor Kiaaron Payne. Families keep in touch throughout the season and mistakes are discovered ahead of the holidays. Some clothes might be the wrong size, or somebody might already own a certain gift.

According to an annual December survey by the National Retail Federation, the week after Christmas is a packed time for shoppers. Of the 6,978 consumers that were surveyed, 17 percent said they planned to return or exchange unwanted gifts from the day after Christmas to New Year’s Day.

Fifty-one percent said they will shop during that same span to take advantage of post-holiday sales, 27 percent of whom added that they will do so with their new gift cards.

Payne, however, said that she’s seen more people shy away from gift cards this year in favor of more personalized purchases, especially electronics, as she’s noticed many shoppers return clothes and instead buy popular electronics for their loved ones, from air fryers to Fitbits.

“We are completely sold out of certain Fitbits,” she said.