Ever since I came of age to do shopping myself, it has become more like a hobby for me. Oh yess 😃, I absolutely love shopping, whether it's for food, clothes or other stuff. I'd like to believe that we're well aware of how traditional it is to visit a store for shopping except that now, the advent of technology has posed us with another option commonly known as “online shopping”.
And yes, these two shopping methods come with their own pros and cons which are not alien to us. So having known this, every person is bound to have their own favorite kind of shopping best convenient for them. For me, it has and will always be physical shopping. Why? Please do read below if you wish to know my reasons 😊.
- Physical shopping creates an opportunity for close contact with the goods.
I don't know about you but I like to have physical contact with what I want to purchase. This is to spare myself the “what I ordered vs what I got” stories that touch. For someone with major trust issues, I see online shopping as a risk. I like having to see with my own eyes what I'd be buying. I like to feel it and test it's genuineness and fitness.
- Physical shopping creates an opportunity for bargain.
Not all online stores allow bargaining or give discounts. Whatever price tag you see is what you'd pay. Unlike the physical stores where you're free to bargain to your satisfaction... Okay, let's forget about bargaining, some physical stores even allow you purchase on credit depending on the level of trust and loyalty built between the seller and customer. Two years ago at the market, I recall running short of money for the last foodstuff item on my list but despite that, I was sold on credit because my mom was the seller's loyal customer.
- It helps to save time and shipping charges.
Last but certainly not the least, this reason is why I prefer personally shopping at a store to online shopping. Well, unlike in online stores where you'd have to wait for hours, days or perhaps even weeks for your goods to arrive, physical shopping saves you that time because as soon as you've made your purchase, your taking your goods along with you. And that also saves you delivery or shipping cost because in physical shopping, you're there in person.
You see, my last experience with online shopping is a good example to back up this reason. So last year, I placed an order for this dress on some online store that I'd like to keep undisclosed. And due to the fact that it was referred by a close friend who assured me of their reliability plus the dress in question was very attractive and affordable. There was this occasion coming up that weekend and I found the dress perfect for it. I ordered it three days beforehand in the reassurance that my dress would be delivered in two days time.
Unfortunately, after paying the cost and delivery fee, my dress arrived a week later! Can you imagine that?? ☹️ To make things worse, the vendor neither responded to my calls nor texts. Believe me, I was extremely pissed that I almost called out the vendor on IG. But on a second thought, I just decided to save myself all that drama.
To make things even more worse, the dress was oversized when it finally arrived. Meaning that I didn't get the size I had earlier chosen. Either way, I had to get it amended at a tailor's shop because I just wasn't ready for another waste of time. My dear readers, since that very day, my trust issues with online vendors, reached it's climax 😐.
In conclusion, I'm not negligent to the pros of online shopping. Actually, I particularly love the fact that you can shop from your comfort zone and have your goods delivered to your doorstep. I mean, it does save people the stress and inconveniences. I've also accepted that online stores are here to stay. However, I still prefer physical shopping, regardless of its cons 😌.
P.S. This post is in response to the @hive-learners weekly featured topics for week 44 edition 1 on the title; “ONLINE SHOPPING VS PHYSICAL SHOPPING”.
THANKS FOR READING! ❤️