Business >
Online Business (Other)
Get a Widget for this title
RSS FeedIs online shopping a better way to shop?
Results so far:
| No | 35% | 152 votes | Total: 437 votes | |
| Yes | 65% | 285 votes |
No
Write now
Print
Invite a writer™
Add to FavoritesThere are several factors to consider before coming to a conclusion, some going each way, but in the end there can only be one conclusion: no, online is not better.
In this age of the internet and computers, everything can be done online. Share pictures, communicate via text, voice, or video, banking, stock trading, reading the news, and everything else. People seem to think that anything on the internet is better than real life. In most cases, that is probably true. Why drive to the bank to move money when you can log in and do it from home? Why develop, print, and mail pictures to your relatives when you can just e-mail them? Why pay for a newspaper when you can access all the news in the world for free at your desk? Everything is better online, right?
Wrong. Perhaps one of the very few things left that is better in person is shopping. There are some aspects of online shopping that are terrific: no crowds, no closing time, unlimited selection, no pesky sales people. Those are all terrific advantages of shopping online, and if the item in question is rare, online shopping might be the only way to go. But there are a few major drawbacks to shopping on the internet that make the real thing better.
There is no substitute for seeing a product in person. Online the best companies can do is pictures, usually only from the front and possibly one other angle. Interactive 3D animations are becoming more popular, but they rarely have the level of detail people want. Sure, and HDMI cable can be purchased online without much worry, but what about shoes? Pants? Any type of clothing? Companies vary their sizing and buying online basically means guessing what size will be the best fit. Televisions can't be seen, radios can't be heard, and products can't be felt or tested for durability or quality. Once the item has been paid for, the consumer has to hope that the item that arrives is what they were hoping for.
Which bring us to a second drawback to online shopping: shipping. Some sites may have overnight shipping or even same day if the product is ordered early enough, but the cost is often prohibitive. Any savings from finding a deal on the internet would be lost in shipping. Many companies do offer free shipping, but that would typically mean waiting for 5-8 business days. For many people, buying something online and then waiting for almost two weeks to get the product negates al the advantages of online shopping.
While the internet is fantastic for an almost infinite variety of activities and services, shopping for consumer products is something that is best left to physical stores. Perhaps some future technology will be able to change that, but for now virtual shopping looses to real shopping.
Learn more about this author, Caine.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
Yes
For me, online shopping is much better than going to the brick and mortar stores. I am widowed and live alone, retired, disabled, and unable to drive any more. Although I have a good support group of friends and family, they live busy lives and I prefer not to be dependent upon them any more than I have to. I do take advantage of their help when I need to shop for items I can't get online or items with very expensive shipping costs. All other items I actually prefer to get online.
Although I have a desktop in my computer room, I enjoy doing my online shopping from my laptop while sitting in my recliner and watching TV. Being retired, I have plenty of time to browse for items and compare prices. I use the compare prices sites that are available, but sometimes I find better prices by using other search engines. I keep a file on my computer named "Comparing Prices." When I find an item, I paste the description and price as well as the URL into the file. In that way, I can keep track of all the items I normally buy.
I think I can find out a lot more about the items I'm shopping for online because most have a more extensive description than actual stores provide. Besides, when I'm in a real store, I'm usually too tired and in too much of a hurry to bother to read very much of the descriptions I do find there. I'm in too much of a hurry and do too much impulse buying.
When I used to drive and would shop for bargains I would drive from store to store comparing prices (and generally go back to the first store to actually buy the item). By shopping online, I save a lot in the cost of gasoline. I also love the idea of missing out on the heavy traffic and road rage so prevalent where I live. Most of the items I buy I can find at places online that offer free shipping. Most places also do not collect sales tax.
One item I buy that usually has high shipping cost is dog food. But even so, I have been able to find one place that offers only an $8.00 shipping cost for two cases of 24 cans each. Now that's almost worth not having to carry it from the store!
Learn more about this author, Christine Holleyman.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
Difference of opinion? Debate now.
- Online Business (Other)
- Can you earn money with MySearchFunds just for searching the Internet?
