(A quick aside: Despite my strong interest in merchandising, I actually dislike shopping quite a bit, and more specifically, I loathe clothes shopping. The only exceptions are food shopping and some big ticket items for which I have an exact vision of what I want.)
Case 1: I went to Borders to purchase the Rosetta Stone Chinese language software (Edition 1) as part of my graduation gift. Not available. Not only did they not have it in stock, but it was $35 cheaper online at Rosettastone.com, which is where I ultimately came home and purchased it from.
Case 2: The second part of my graduation gift was a 21-inch carry on luggage piece which was meant to compliment Rosetta Stone. (Have you made the connection yet? I'm leaving for China soon). Macy's is generally the place to go for reasonably-priced, quality luggage; but, they were out of their standard Delsey carry-on, which is one of the few brands they carry. The associate at Macy's was kind enough to put me in her little "book" and said she'd call me when the luggage arrived. But when I want something, I want it pronto. So I went online to ebags.com and bought the same exact Delsey carry-on for $135.99 instead of the $169.99 they were charging at Macy's or Macys.com. And it's a good thing I bought from ebags, because, to this day, I still have not received a phone call notifying me of a new shipment.
Case 3: Not until July did I realize I needed some shorts for the summer. Well, apparently, shopping for summer clothes in July is too late because finding the right size in the right pair of shorts was like trying to find a parking space in Provincetown on the Fourth of July: simply not available. Learning from Case 1 and 2, I went home and searched for the pair of shorts I wanted (the Docker's plaid line) and bought them online for 14.99 a pair at bonton.com instead of the 24.99 they were retailing for at Macy's (both marked down from the $44.00 MSRP).
It is nothing spectacularly new that online shopping is far more robust than its brick and mortar counterpart. But, it does not come without its downside: colors often vary from what they look like online, sizes can vary by brand, and sometimes there are shipping costs (rarely, though, if you are purchasing over $50 worth of merchandise).
Interestingly enough, you might think consumer packaged goods would be immune to online shopping, but shoppers are purchasing their everyday items--shampoo, groceries, aspirin--- all online. Buying these items in bulk online from Amazon.com presents significant savings in the form of stress and money. And while you won't recieve a discount, Stop & Shop's Peapod service will bring your groceries directly to your doorstep--a nice convenience if you live in the city.
Online shopping is far from new but it is continually evolving. And I think there's little doubt that your always local .com will be the preeminent retailer of the 21st century.
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