Having lived here so long, I no longer understand the “I’ll buy it but just exchange it if it doesn’t work out” attitude. If it’s something like clothing or a decorative item, you should be sure of your purchase, or it’s on you to ask for exchange conditions — for example, “I’d like to take this lamp home and see how it looks, if I don’t like it can I bring it back or exchange it?”

And to be honest, I’ve actually found French customer service in general to be much improved compared to when I first moved here.