Apple's Extended Return Policy Now in Effect for 2021 Holiday Shopping Season

I would normally be happy to hear this, but I'm sorry. It irks me that this becomes a "thing" only for holiday shopping with Apple. I mean, let's be honest. Xmas is the one time of the year when you're going to have the most returns or exchanges. So for Apple to temporarily lift the usual 15-day return policy and make a more "industry-typical" 30 day one over the holidays is more like them trying to dodge a bunch of criticism and anger from customers than any gift to people.

I bought a new iPhone 13 Pro on launch day, ordered from Apple direct. 1TB model, even. It took me a little time to use features on it like the camera for video recording and to see how it charged on two different inductive charging pads I had in my car and at home, etc. etc. As I learned more about it, I realized I could have done just fine with the "Max" version (unwarranted initial fears it wouldn't fit on the inductive charging pad in my car and so forth), and really started missing the larger screen size of my XS Max this phone replaced. When I finally found a local store with a 1TB Max version of the 13 in stock, I was already 1 day past my time limit to do an exchange -- AND, it was a long workday that meant I couldn't even get over there that night before they closed.

So ... living with my 13 Pro and a little miffed I couldn't swap for the Max. (But had this been a "holiday purchase" instead, I would have easily had time to do that swap.)

Does the return clock start ticking from the date you ordered the product -or- is it from the date the product is delivered? My Apple Watch Series 7 was ordered on 10/26 but the estimated delivery date is 11/27-11/24.

So if you purchased in the actual, physical Apple Store you don't get this extended return window?