NEW YORK, Dec 27, 2001/ --- It is fair to assume that if your sister doesn't return those purple, green and orange booties you bought her for the holidays, she must love them as much as you do - right? Not necessarily.

According to a study of 1,000 people by logistic software company EXE Technologies, a large proportion of people would like to return unwanted gifts but they are unlikely to do so.

The study revealed that 31 percent of people say they would like to return a gift, but 27 percent of those polled wouldn't actually return it because of the risk of upsetting the gift giver. Seventeen percent of those surveyed cited avoiding a scene at the store as the reason for not returning unwanted gifts.

"It's a shame that some people still put up with gifts they don't like or that don't fit - especially if one of the reasons is to avoid making a fuss," said Steven Buckley, EXE marketing director.