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| Thursday, June 08, 2006 |
| Online Shopping - Best thing ever! |
Today's Boston Globe has the story: Shopping's social value fading for those online. I must admit I was an early adopter of online shopping. But I doubt I spend as much as the average consumer...The center's study tracking the buying habits of Internet consumers across five years found that they spent an average of $113.34 per month online in 2005, $43 a month more than in 2001. I truly believe online shopping to be one of the most valuable "modern convenience" of my generation (ok, my Roomba Red is a pretty close second!). Not only is it a huge time saver, but I feel that it saves me money. I trained myself long ago to stop "entertainment" shopping (you know, I am bored - what should I do today? Let's go to the Mall to kill time...[and the budget!]) If I go to a store I find myself buying far more "impulse" items than when I shop online. My suspicious little mind thinks this is why local super markets, drug stores, heck even gas stations - have more and more other stuff for sale. Example: My drug store has an aisle devoted to seasonal items - so beware, shopping for aspirin could lead to bringing home an unwanted garden gnome Of a dozen online shoppers interviewed by the Globe, none said they had succumbed to compulsive shopping, though several acknowledged they had bought things they didn't need on occasion, and needed to beware of that trap. A more common response came from Baern, a 40-year-old development officer for a nonprofit organization, who said she spends less money on clothing and furnishings because when she shops online she is focused on her goal. ``I rarely do the kind of browsing-shopping that I used to do, where you go from store to store seeing what's available," she said. But I do agree with the article that some items just need to be purchased in person. While I do do some grocery shopping online, I tend to just buy the heavy bulk items that way. I still shop for my own produce myself. If I can buy something locally (as in within a 10 minute or less drive - or better yet at a place I can walk to) I will do that. However, if something requires a trip up a highway or a stop at a mall, I am far more likely to purchase it online. |
| posted by Boston Gal @ 10:09 AM *
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