I rarely return stuff at AAP, which is one of the places I frequent the most for auto parts stuff.
They do have a very generous exhange policy. If you have filters/etc that are in good shape in the box, etc, they will gladly let you get full credit for them in an exchange. I've not known them to "limit" the exchanges, but I don't have a high return rate, as I typically get what I want the first time.