This morning, I was talking to a neighbor while we were doing laundry (Yes, I do my own laundry - one of my homely skills) and she was telling me how - this year - she bought all her presents online. Now, she use to not like the idea of online shopping but with a little persuasion from her kids, she started doing it and got comfortable with it.
I'm an avid online shopper but I still manage to go to the brick and mortar stores to shop. There are certain items that I shop online and certain items I go to the store to buy. If everything can be bought online, then that would be a different story. So this post would talk about the advantages and disadvantages of retail and online shopping.
Retail Shopping
Advantage - One of the best advantages of going to the store to buy a product is that you can see, feel and try the product. You can test the product right there at the store without needing to shell out the money first. And if you don't really like the product, then you can just leave the store and go to the next one.
Disadvantage - It can get tiring. Yes, going to retail is great but you need to make sure you wear comfortable shoes because there is a lot of standing and walking involved. If you are an avid shopper, you won't just go to one store and that's it. You will end up walking around the mall and checking almost every store. This is more evident during big sale promos and of course, the holiday season. There is a mall near my place - its four floors and has numerous shops. And it would probably take you more than half a day just to go through all the stores.
Disadvantage - Store Hours. Store are only open certain hours which makes it a disadvantage. You are limited to how long you can decide before buying or else you will end up going back to the store again and again.
Online Shopping
Advantage - It's not tiring. Yep, online shopping is not tiring. You just have to go online and start shopping. And you can be doing something else while doing online shopping. And there is no time limit, you can shop 24 hours a day, 365 days in a year. Shop till your internet connection drops..
Advantage - More choices. The best advantage of online shopping is that you can compare an item more retailers. And there are now online tools that allows you to compare prices with different e-retailers without the need of going through each store and checking their prices.
Disadvantage - You have to wait for your product to arrive with online shopping. And usually, you will end up waiting for a long day except if you pay extra for expedite shipping. I remember that it almost took a month to get my desktop. I guess patience is a virtue.
Disadvantage - Online shopping is a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) shopping. You see only a picture and don't have a chance to try it out before buying it. Yes most online retail store have a 30 day return policy but that just mean that you have to repackage the item, bring it to the post office and send it. Its just a hassle to do this especially if you have a very hectic life.
As you can see, there a numerous advantages and disadvantages with both types of shopping. Everyone has different opinions and these are just mine. Of course you are entitled to your own opinion.
I'm an avid online shopper but I still manage to go to the brick and mortar stores to shop. There are certain items that I shop online and certain items I go to the store to buy. If everything can be bought online, then that would be a different story. So this post would talk about the advantages and disadvantages of retail and online shopping.
Retail Shopping
Advantage - One of the best advantages of going to the store to buy a product is that you can see, feel and try the product. You can test the product right there at the store without needing to shell out the money first. And if you don't really like the product, then you can just leave the store and go to the next one.
Disadvantage - It can get tiring. Yes, going to retail is great but you need to make sure you wear comfortable shoes because there is a lot of standing and walking involved. If you are an avid shopper, you won't just go to one store and that's it. You will end up walking around the mall and checking almost every store. This is more evident during big sale promos and of course, the holiday season. There is a mall near my place - its four floors and has numerous shops. And it would probably take you more than half a day just to go through all the stores.
Disadvantage - Store Hours. Store are only open certain hours which makes it a disadvantage. You are limited to how long you can decide before buying or else you will end up going back to the store again and again.
Online Shopping
Advantage - It's not tiring. Yep, online shopping is not tiring. You just have to go online and start shopping. And you can be doing something else while doing online shopping. And there is no time limit, you can shop 24 hours a day, 365 days in a year. Shop till your internet connection drops..
Advantage - More choices. The best advantage of online shopping is that you can compare an item more retailers. And there are now online tools that allows you to compare prices with different e-retailers without the need of going through each store and checking their prices.
Disadvantage - You have to wait for your product to arrive with online shopping. And usually, you will end up waiting for a long day except if you pay extra for expedite shipping. I remember that it almost took a month to get my desktop. I guess patience is a virtue.
Disadvantage - Online shopping is a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) shopping. You see only a picture and don't have a chance to try it out before buying it. Yes most online retail store have a 30 day return policy but that just mean that you have to repackage the item, bring it to the post office and send it. Its just a hassle to do this especially if you have a very hectic life.
As you can see, there a numerous advantages and disadvantages with both types of shopping. Everyone has different opinions and these are just mine. Of course you are entitled to your own opinion.
