Online Shopping Has Changed My Life
Online shopping has changed my entire perspective on shopping. The amount of Christmas shopping I do online has steadily increased over the last few years. Not only that, but I’ve also increased the amount of every day things I purchase online as well. Taking a look at my recent orders through Amazon, it’s almost silly I purchased some of them online.
Electronics
My son asked for several electronic items for Christmas including a new hard drive, and a wireless charging pad. The items were available at Best Buy, which I drive by every day on my way home from work. But, they were the same price online with free shipping meaning I didn’t have to deal with parking in a crowded business area nor a line of people.
Perfume
My wife asked for a specific type of perfume for Christmas. I hate dealing with the mall this time of year. Ordering it online and having it arrive on my doorstep in 2 days was almost like a present to myself.
Lip Balm
The air is cold and dry this time of year in the Midwest. Each of my family members is in constant possession of a tube of lip balm, and there’s a specific type that we all prefer. I looked at two grocery stores where I had been able to find the product in the past, with no luck. Instead of searching further for it, I just ordered it form Amazon. A pack of six tubes will arrive on my doorstep tomorrow.
Appliance Parts
The handle on our dishwasher broke recently. I could have gone to an appliance repair shop and purchased the part, but instead I just ordered it online. We simply washed dishes by hand for a few days until the part came and I was able to install it.
Online shopping, especially through a retailer like Amazon, has a lot of upside. One can buy almost anything, and with free shipping it will simply show up on your front step within a few days. Unless you need to immediately, you can save the inconvenience of finding time during a busy day to go to a specific store to purchase a needed product. Amazon does something like 30% of online traffic – it’s got a great interface and has pretty much everything you could want – except fresh groceries! Plus, they offer a free 30 day trial
.
Online availability of almost any product has completely changed the way I think about shopping. Instead of going to a store or even a mall, I just sit in front of my computer and wait for the mail to come.
Has online shopping changed the way you shop for products? What have you ordered recently that you never thought you’d order online?
Brought to you courtesy of Brock
Follow Clever Dude on Twitter
Like Clever Dude on Facebook
Brock is a software engineer by day and personal finance blogger at night. He is a fitness junkie and enjoys grilling and smoking meat. Married with two children, Brock strives to improve his skills as a husband and father, and is always on the lookout to stretch his family’s budget as far as he can.