A woman from Baltimore tried to return a car part at Advance Auto Parts and ran into a problem that got people talking. She paid $150 in cash for a Cadillac part, but was told she couldn’t get her money back in cash.
According to Motor1, BeautifulSoul posted a 39-second video on TikTok on November 27 showing what happened at the store. The video has been viewed over 224,000 times. In the clip, she stands at the counter with her receipt and explains the situation.
She says in the video that she paid cash for the part, but later realized she didn’t need it or needed a different one. When she went back to return it, the store refused to give her cash back. Instead, they told her the refund would go on a card and take three to five days or up to two weeks to process.
Stores can make their own refund rules
“Welcome to a world where you can’t pay in cash because if you pay in cash, you won’t get your money back,” BeautifulSoul says in her video. “You’ll have to get it back on a card and you’re gonna have to wait those three to five days up to two weeks to get your money back. You can pay in cash and you can’t get your cash back. Like that’s crazy to me.”
BeautifulSoul warns other shoppers about this policy in her video. She says it’s crazy that you can pay with cash but can’t get cash back when returning something. She suggests people avoid shopping at Advance Auto Parts because of this.
Most stores give refunds the same way customers paid. But there’s no federal law that forces businesses to refund cash purchases in cash. Stores can set their own return policies as long as they post them clearly. Similar to how the Dolphins handled their personnel decisions, businesses make choices that sometimes frustrate their customers.
Some states and cities have laws requiring businesses to accept cash payments. This helps people who don’t have bank accounts. But these laws don’t always cover how refunds work.
Auto parts stores face a unique challenge. Customers often buy parts based on guesses about what’s wrong with their car. They might need to return items and get different parts after trying to fix the problem. This makes flexible return policies important.
The comment section on her video filled up with debate. Current and former retail workers, managers, and customers shared their experiences. Some said stores must refund cash the same way it was paid. Others defended the store’s policy and said private businesses can set their own rules. The reaction was intense, much like how fans responded to recent losses in professional sports.
Published: Dec 9, 2025 03:45 pm