The preference of whether to shop online or in person is one that is very individual and is different for everyone.  The choice to e-shop may even differ within each person depending on what is being shopped for and what time of the year it is.  The major issue to either choice is of course, preference. The technology of the Internet gives people the option of shopping online if for some reason they do not or cannot go out into the “real” stores.  This form of shopping did not exist a few years ago.  Although you might think that online shopping would be the easier choice of the two, shopping at a major known store is definitely to your advantage. 

There are 5 main disadvantages to Internet shopping:

You do not see in person the item that is being sold.  This can include that ability to try on clothing of being able to see the true size of the product.  Many times items that are sitting in a warehouse get bumped around and begin to show signs of wear and tear.  When buying online there is no guarantee that the item you get will not be one of those that are dented or otherwise worn in some way.  Along, the same lines, you do not deal directly with the salespeople as well.  If you have a major problem that you need to take care of immediately you cannot deal with it in person.  If you are simply a people person, shopping online will not be for you because you will not be participating with anyone but yourself.

During times of heavy Internet use or on extremely popular online websites, you may retrieve a site that is loading slowly which can take a lot of time spent waiting and even cause you to get bumped off of the internet.  This can happen at any point in the shopping experience and cause you to waste a lot of time trying to get back on the site and also trying to figure out what of your information was saved, if any.  E-shopping is not for the shopper with a short temper.

When you shop online you do not get the instant gratification that comes with purchasing an item at the store and bringing it home with you.  You do not get to use it or wear it right away but have to wait – many times several weeks.  This wait can be accompanied by shipping costs, which equates to basically paying to wait for your purchase.

Seasonal shopping online can be difficult because in order to avoid the problem of items being back ordered or out of stock you need to begin shopping several months ahead of time.  People are not always ready to start shopping this early and do not always know what they need to buy.  This is certainly something to consider when planning your holiday shopping.

For some people security is an issue. To make certain that the site you are ordering from is secure; follow the recommended checks and balances to determine the authenticity and security.  This includes checking the certificate of authenticity, making sure there is a physical address and working telephone number listed and as you navigate through the secure section of the website watch the pictures of locks up in the corner of the dialogue boxes.  Closed locks mean secure information while open locks mean that the area you are in is not as secure as it could be.  Another clue as to whether or not the website you are on is legitimate is how professional the site looks.  If you are on a site that looks unprofessional and does not give any information about the product(s) this could be a red flag.  Websites that give a lot of consumer testimonials but no other explanations can possibly be over compensating for having less than adequate product and need to be checked further before purchasing from them.

There are both advantages and disadvantages to Internet shopping.  The decision to shop online is a very individual decision and may change for you depending upon what you are looking to buy and what time of the year it is.  A solution to the fear of security when e-shopping is to purchase from major known chains of stores and online stores that have been around for a long time and have a long history of contented customers. 

 

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