Bluetooth range not very good

I am on 2.13 firmware.  I cannot put it in my pocket without skipping.  I cannot move it more than 3 inches away from my bluetooth earbuds without skipping.  At this moment,  I literally have my player out 6 inches in front of me and it’s still skipping.  This is ridiculous.  If anyone remembers what CD skipping used to sound/feel like, this is what happens with the sport plus.  This is totally unacceptable.  Product works fine with wired connection (as do previous models), but I bought this specifically for the bluetooth feature for a dedicated mp3 player.  Time to return to Target.  I honestly cannot believe this is being sold in 2017, let alone for 60 bucks.