I'm a highly dedicated shopper, often searching high and low for an ideal set of footwear, the just-right gift for a relative, or a variety of other products. However, you won't catch me schlepping bags from store to store or fighting the crowds at the mall. I do the vast majority of my shopping on the internet - and so should you. Why? Here are four great reasons to begin shopping online.
Time is Money
I've a full-time career and a household to raise. My parents and in-laws all live out of town. So it's rarely practical for me to take several hours to go searching for ANYTHING. And usually if I do, I've several children tagging along sports apparel. Have you ever tried to complete something with young kids in tow? Multiply the time you'd normally spend on that task by three, and you're coming close.
But shopping on the internet is something I could match my schedule. It takes much less time to go from website to website, than it will to go from store to store, looking for the product that fulfills my shopping quest. I could wait until my kids have been in bed before shopping, and I could do it while watching TV or while something cooks in the oven.
Plus, search engines and product comparison tools are not at all something you'll find at the mall. I start my shopping in the search engines, particularly those who let you limit results to products. Then after discovering the right product, I recommend utilizing a comparison shopping engine to find a very good price from a well-rated merchant. I could usually do this in much less time than it'd take me to go shopping for the item locally, even without the in-person price comparisons.
Gas isn't Eco-Friendly
Many people are talking about "going green" these days. After years of smog, global warming, carcinogens, and other icky things, we're finally needs to look closely at Mother Earth. But if you don't live within walking or biking distance of a shopping center, you have to find in the impact of the drive.
Gas is expensive, and fuel emissions are detrimental to the environment. That's what I call a lose-lose scenario! Shopping on the net doesn't use any gas. It doesn't produce exactly the same amount of pollutants that driving does, and you don't ever need to refuel your computer.
I live fifteen minutes from the nearest mall by car, and the nearest city with any extensive shopping is an hour or so away. When I element in the time wasted and the amount of money used on fuel, the common cost of my purchases increases to an unreasonable amount. Compare your online and offline purchases, factoring in costs like gas and parking, and see if you might spend less by shopping online.
I'm No Deliveryman
The capability to ship products directly to my house is wonderful. Provided that I'm not in a huge hurry to buy the item involved, I could usually arrange for shipping that costs significantly less than I'd spend in time and gas by buying exactly the same item in person.
However, this factor really starts to pay off round the holidays. With family spread across the country, and lines at the post office winding out through the leading door, shipping packages myself makes me want to chew off my fingernails and pull out my hair! But it's easy, with online shopping, to have the package shipped directly to my recipient. And because so many stores offer gift wrapping and messaging, that hassle is cared for as well. I feel almost pampered when I could "hire" someone to do this benefit me!
There's Not Enough Stuff Locally
The biggest advantage I've found to shopping on the internet, however, could be the selection. The declining economy has hit my local area hard, and businesses are closing their doors around town. It's becoming harder and harder to find the item I'm looking for. Like, when my daughter started soccer this spring, we needed to buy cleats - but there wasn't a single store in the county that carried youth soccer cleats! But do you know what each store suggested? "We don't ask them to in the store, but you can buy them on our website."
Additionally, it doesn't help that I've a tiny habit of shopping designer labels. Those are not simple to find in a smallish town like mine. But fashion and apparel run rampant on the web. From invitation-online websites to massive apparel superstores, I will find almost anything I want, usually in stock and within my size.
If you haven't braved the Internet shopping scene yet, I suggest it. Even die-hard social shoppers often need something with little hassle. It might not replace a day together with your girlfriends at the mall, but it definitely has benefits.
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