Online or Offline : When and Where It Makes Sense to Shop

The following is a guest post by Ayah Granada.  Her bio follows.

Open 24 hours 7 days a week, no long lines to wait in, not worrying about handling any tantrums from kids, and hitting up more than 10 stores in less than an hour. What’s not to love about online shopping ?

So, does what we buy and HOW we buy something really matter?

Online Shopping Reality Check

First of all, here’s an overview of the few ludicrous things we’ve all done for the love of online shopping:

• We’ve overspent on a transaction just to avail of “Free Shipping”. If it can be bought in store within a few minutes or hours from your location, just go get it already. The cost (of gas) it took to drive there may be equivalent, or even be a lot cheaper, than the extra money you spent ordering unnecessary items.
• We’ve shopped using public Wi-Fi or slow connection. Keep in mind that no matter how “limited edition” the item you long for is, your slow internet can’t guarantee a successful purchase. You might as well give up on your orders before you go crazy over the instability. Plus, steering clear of credit card scams is a lot harder to do over unstable connections.
• We’ve all been confused about return policies and victimized by wrong orders. Honest mistakes are normal, and sometimes companies do their best to compensate for their slip-ups. Most of the time, however, we’re fooled by what we see online versus how the product actually looks and feels once we receive it.

But There ARE Positives

The pleasure of being able to choose among various stores at once is only one of online shopping’s many benefits. The internet makes it so easy for us to find  items we’d otherwise have trouble hunting down in stores. When it first became accessible to netizens, it seemed like a service that was too good to be true. It has become such a convenient service to the point where it was considered ALMOST faultless.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, consumers prefer buying items like drugs and health aid (91.2%), computer hardware and software (51.9%) and other miscellaneous items (56.8%) in stores.  As convenient as online shopping is, there are still some aspects that prove purchasing items online still doesn’t compare to actual shopping in stores.

Reasons Why Shopping In Store Is More Beneficial:

You can examine the quality of the items up close.

No longer do you have to imagine what a certain item’s texture or material feels like. You’ll immediately be able to tell if your item is worth your money. There’s no longer any need to buy an item from multiple stores in various qualities “just to be safe”.

Shopping in store can be turned into a social event.

Don’t deny the fact that the mall was one of your top meet up spots during your tween years. Nothing said “girl time” more than afterschool dates walking around, with shopping bags in one hand and drinks on the other. Give customer service front liners something to do as well; appreciate the in-store displays they took the time to setup and the assistance they provide.

Oh, and sitting on your couch clicking on one item after another burns zero calories. Convinced to

Falling in love at first sight with an item.

In retail stores, products are limited in number, forcing you to choose among what is displayed, or what they have in stock. It’s a lot easier to control your spending when you have no choice but to accept the fact that it’s no longer in stock. Do I REALLY need it? You think to yourself. On the other hand, if you score the last item you coveted and it fits you perfectly, it partly feels like winning the lottery.

Save on shipping fees.

Returns are easier done in person and in store. All you really need to bring back to the store with you is your receipt and your item that either has a defect or was simply bought in the wrong size. If bought online, you’d have to wait twice as long for your item to reach them and for it to be sent back to you all over again.

~With a recent trend of e-commerce companies and sites putting up brick and mortar stores, shopping in store hasn’t gone passé –yet. This is all happening despite the news of various companies closing some of their branches for good due to bankruptcy.

Leaving a store carrying exactly what you came for and need is priceless, despite the money, effort and time you had to sacrifice.

About Ayah

Ayah is a content writer and editor for Scoopfed.com. Formerly a student journalist. Full time writer, part time bibliophile and a TV series hoarder-slash-enthusiast. She’s currently focused on helping healthcare workers and millennials find better career opportunities through Locum Tenens. You can also find her on Twitter @ayahgranada.