It's only the "oldtimers" who know how to do this right.
I went to OfficeDepot I purchased 4 boxes of these pens for $6.99 each box. I then went to each of the Staples near me (4) and returned them. Although they were the same price in the store, I told the folks that the price on the web was a bit more than what the store offered. Of course, I NEVER told them that I did not purchase them from the website (this would be dishonest) but rather told them the web price was higher than the store price and merely IMPLIED I had purchased them at the web price. They refused to issue a cash refund, but they did issue me credit to my credit card. I was careful to use a different credit card at each store so as not to raise supsicion at having over $1.5 million credited to me in one day (apparently, if you get a credit card refund of over $1 million dollars on a single card, this raises the eyebrows of the folks at both the store and credit card company - I read that on gotapex.com).
Does anyone think this needs to be reported to the IRS as income?
Please note, the best time to do this deal at a store is April Fool's day.