My Dos and Don'ts of Online Shopping

Thursday, January 9, 2014 | Stamp in My Passport||

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Hi, my name is Jess and I'm addicted to online shopping. I get a rush when multiple packages arrive on my doorstep. I open all of the store emails I receive every day to see what their sales are. I love not being limited by the selection of stores and their (sometimes) limited stock. The sky is the limit for what I want to buy. Who wants to deal with crowds, traffic and having to put on makeup before heading to a shopping center? I would much rather stay on the couch with my coffee shopping to my heart's content. The only downside is the delayed gratification, unless you want to fork over an extra $10 for expedited shipping or you are an Amazon Prime member. 

Do edit your shopping cart. My system of shopping includes putting all of my favorite items into the cart without a care in the world and throwing price to the wind. This way I do not have to go back through the site trying to hunt down what I want to buy. Once I'm done browsing, then I go and weed through my items. I actually do this process to some extent in store too. As I'm approaching the register, I am always amazed my the silly items I've picked up and have some sense to put them back. 

Don't ever pay for shipping. It is a buyers market and retailers are constantly having sales, which most of the time include free shipping. If for some reason free shipping isn't offered when you want to buy, wait a little while and the offer will come back. Especially if you are ordering from a store that you have close by. There is no reason to spend extra money. 

Do be smart about ordering clothes online. It happens to all of us in stores. You grab about 20 items to try on, make your way to the dressing room and then walk away with about a quarter of those items actually fitting like you expected them to. What makes you think buying clothes online would be any different? Always buy from a store that offers free returns. And if at all possible, only buy from stores that you have tried on and purchased clothes from before so you know what size you are and which items fit you best. 

Don't pay attention to the nay sayers in the reviews section. When deciding on an item I always read through the comments to see what others have to say about it and if it is worth purchasing. But I've learned to take their opinions with a grain of salt. Some people are just never happy and always have a critical opinion to share. Unless there is a common thread, like an items color isn't exactly what it looks like on the screen or it is sized small, don't fret if a few people were dissatisfied. 

What about you? Are you an online shopping addict or do you like to go to brick and mortar stores and have the instant gratification of walking away with your favorite items?

4 comments:

Charlene Maugeri said...

I love online shopping! These are some great tips! I don't do much online browsing. I usually go to a store website with something in mind and then end up shopping around. But your first tip is a great idea! I may handle to try that.

Gina Alyse said...

The hardest thing for me is ordering shoes online, unless I've tried them on in the store. But there's been a couple websites where that makes it hard! Thanks for sharing your tips :)


xo, gina

Leah S. said...

I rarely order clothes online because fit is always hard for me.I have starting more lately and must say that I have been pleasantly surprised at how much I like surfing online. Thanks for these tips.

Z K said...

I totally agree with free returns - I used to work at American Eagle and our big sell was that you can order online and return IN STORE. Super easy, especially consider if you needed order up or down a size, you can return it in line and the associate (me) can order the correct size and ship it to your house (for free). The moral of this story is have a friend for every shop in the mall and memorize the insider tips :]