I did most of my Christmas shopping online this year. It beats having to drag all the kids out of the house in the cold and deal with the crowds. But there are both positives and negatives to Online Shopping.
Positives:
- Ability to price-compare on various stores
- Avoid the hassle of going out, finding parking, and dealing with crowded stores
- Less chance of other impulsive purchases
- Shipping right to your door
- Access to unique items that others may not have or buy already
Negatives:
- Items may get back-ordered and you may be scrambling for a gift last minute
- Sales may be better in the stores and not reflected online
- You don’t get to physically see or touch the product
- Product may arrive damaged during shipping and leave you in a hurry to replace it
- If you get gift-wrapping option you don’t even get to see the product as it will already be wrapped when it’s delivered to you
- Can be more costly on delivery charges, especially if you buy from many online stores
Yes, Online Shopping is definitely easier in a lot of ways, but you have to realize that you may need to deal with the above list of negatives as well.
I ordered a few things for myself and for my husband, but never received what I ordered. One of the orders was from Amazon (my husband’s Christmas gift – a nice wallet – shhhhh don’t tell him… I am hoping to still get it eventually 🙂 ) well, they contacted me a few days ago to let me know that the order was never processed. They instructed me to respond to the email that they sent and it would go to the vendor. I did that and never got a response. So, I am up a creek with that one.
I also ordered a couple pairs of shoes for myself. I did a lot of research to find the perfect pair of grey birkenstocks. They are usually around $100, but I found a company who had them for only $49. They had my exact size and I placed my order. I realized today that I never got any email from them letting me know that the order was being shipped. I checked back into my email and went on their site to track the package. And I saw a little note that said “Out of Stock” UGH! They could’ve emailed me or something, right?I also ordered a pair of crocs from Amazon for a great deal and they were shipped ON TIME. I opened the box very excited to put my new shoes on…. and guess what? THEY WERE TOO SMALL! I ordered a size 8 (even though I am a 7 1/2). The shoes were obviously defective because how could an 8 be too small? Craziness! So now I have to ship them back within 30 days – another THING to add to my to do list. Yuk!
I wound up having to do my online shoe shopping research all over again! See? I went back for more! Thank God I did find a couple alternatives for an even cheaper price, but now I have to wait even longer to get them.
But even with all of that I still enjoy being able to hop on my computer and shop without having to leave my house. I can research ideas and compare prices. And in spite of not always getting what I want, when I want – I still prefer shopping online instead of shopping in stores.
I am the type of person who gets overwhelmed in crowds of people. And I wind up over-buying somehow. Does that ever happen to you? What do you think about shopping online? Which do you prefer and why? Would love to hear from you!
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