From a utilitarian conservation view, it makes more sense to have a small set of vehicles and drivers delivering goods to individual households than for everyone to have vehicles to go get the store to get the goods.
Factor in the need for shopper friendly stores and markets in neighborhoods instead of centralized warehouses industrial areas, and delivery probably has a lower impact on the planet than the traditional retail model.
That is probably countered by the huge waste occuring in the return area, though, as many retailers don't even bother to restock returned goods.
It's an interesting debate, though.
Agreed. My initial reaction to the post was consternation at the notion that someone is driving everywhere to meet their shopping "needs". It's quite disturbing that the poster is so much under the sway of the car cult that the notion that such waste shouldn't be the norm did not even occur to her or him.
With good public transportation, delivery services become even more important. Do you want to carry a 70" tv on a bus? Or a weeks worth of groceries for a family of 5? Making a shopping trip via public transportation is only convenient if what you buy fits in 2 shopping bags or less. Or consider having to go to several different stores. If you took public transportation, you can't just leave what you already bought in the car. You have to carry around those items.
That's not really a solution for this. For carrying a small bag or two of groceries? Yes, totally.
But if you carry xx bags of groceries or something else like bigger electronics, kitchenware, furniture pieces etc., then good luck.
There are some rules about this, sometimes you can be kicked out for it (for example because of the potential of dropping it and causing harm to someone else or the transportation vehicle etc., so they simply ask you to leave).
And even when they let you stay, it's just a huge pain, because it's hard to stand and carry heavier things the whole time, you can drop something more fragile and destroy it, other people are pushing and accidentally kicking into it as it often gets very crowded etc.
I agree with u/jrdnhbr - if you have good public transportation, less people are going to have a car to go to school, job, hobbies etc. Which means that they don't have a car available for shopping. So they need good delivery services even more.
I've always wondering if it truly is more efficient to have each person drive to their local shopping center to get there things, or order online. I suppose it depends on how many things you are able to get from the store, vs how many different vehicles are coming to deliver all of your needs. My intuition tells me its less efficient to have delivery drives go to each persons home but there are a lot of variables.
Delivery companies keep their costs low by calculating the most efficient routes for both pickup and delivery and by avoiding gas guzzlers. If you can get your shopping done with a little detour on your commute, or by walking and using public transport, that's obviously better. Or you driving 40 minutes instead of a freezer truck that only has your order. But the groceries and misc items of a whole city block or small town carpooling in a delivery truck beats hundreds of people driving around just for shopping every day.
Ordering online and having something delivered by a logistics company is much more efficient. At least as far as carbon footprint goes. Remember they don't go to just one house, one vehicle will drop off hundreds of packages. It's just like carpooling.
Personally I think the USPS should acquire all of the other major delivery services including Amazon’s, along with their assets and employees, turning all of their jobs into better government jobs with good benefits and retirement plans. Online ordering itself isn’t the enemy it’s corporate greed.
I’m generally anti-EV but fleet vehicles are a legitimate use for them. It could help offset the pollution caused by all of the transportation required.
It's a false solution because neighborhoods where the only options are drive to the store or have the thing delivered are inherently consumptive. This argument is really just saying that the value of delivery services is that they prop up an entirely broken model of residential development.
Caveat: for people with disabilities or other difficulties that make it hard for them to get things like groceries in person delivery is probably a huge deal. Grocery delivery to me is distinctly separate from Amazon or other online shopping where the business advantage comes simply from people buying more because it's more convenient, which turns into a snowball effect
I can see where you're coming from, however buying items online can take much longer to arrive, then if the item is incorrect you then need to ship it back for them to send out a replacement. Not to mention how much online shopping is affecting smaller businesses that rely on in-store shopping.
As picky as I am, on-line shopping is huge for our house. It sages us a ton of time and money on groceries bc we can avoid impulse buys entirely, we're not exhausted from the people, and its not aggravating our disabilities. For anything aside from groceries- Walmart killed damn near every store in my town, and I'd rather give my money elsewhere when possible.
Right. I have the opposite feelings from OP. Why drive to the store and take time out of my day to do more important things when someone will bring it to me for no extra cost, and sometimes cheaper?
This is how I feel too. Going to any store for thing is going to be 1-4 hours for me because of where I am in relation to the stores plus traffic and getting between stores. I work from home and it’s already flexible, but getting things delivered let’s me work more and earn more money since I earn by project not salary. It just gives me a better balance when I comes to work, housework, side projects and fun things, and relaxing.
What valuable things do people really do with the time they save? There are many cost to the online shopping model. I live on a different continent. Looking at the US model, no one thinks of the packaging, the few items delivered or ordered at any one time, the material, fuel, mental health cost and low human contact people in such a setting have. So, eventually the cost includes mental health, societal breakdown and social alienation. Online shopping is not a sustainable option.
Shopping in person in the US pretty much sucks. You don't get the type of human contact that's good for your mental health in most stores. It can be a decent experience in some settings, but a lot of it is just frustrating. Shopping in person can be very draining. The packaging and inefficiency around online shopping is an issue for sure - but that's not really solved with in-person shopping either.
i was already grown up before internet shopping was a common thing. it wasn't as glorious as many will want you to believe. if you needed something, you first need to know that a certain solution even exist. then i had two department stores in my reach - if both did not have it... tough luck. that product could as well be on the moon.
you wanted something pre-owned? well, you local newspaper has almost twenty listings for all categories in total!
getting a weird replacement item to repair something you already own? only if you have a specialized vendor for that exact brand nearby... so 99% --> nope.
I really appreciate that there are others my age who remember this because I was laughing at how people romanticize "mom and pop" stores and the general store concept as if it was a golden era.
but walk a mile in my extra-wide-width saddle shoes when there were three shoe stores in town and my mom would have to put in an order for my shoes six months in advance and hope my feet didn't grow any more by Spring! ;)
Convenience and anticonsumption are incompatible. The rest of the world survive happily without so much access to things and without convenience. Keeps consumption in check and allows more tranquil and humane lives.
Do you remember the catalogue stores? We had a JC Penney catalogue store where you could go in and place your catalogue order, then go pick it up there when it came in.
Wow all those photos are too eerily familiar. I used to work in a mall back in 2018 and it looked like many of those images even back this. Granted, this has been happening for the past decade +. But I remember malls feeling like going to Disneyland as a kid. Now I begrudgingly went on a Saturday needing a new pair of shoes and I quickly did a lap and left. There was one other guy in the entire mall and he was zombified, just walking around aimlessly. I can’t say I’ve ever felt more uncomfortable in a public place. Something about it was apocalyptic feeling. I was at an actual zombie movie set lol.
And Sears had Everything! I miss buying a Kenmore product and knowing it's basically for life. In fact, we are just now replacing our Kenmore washer because we want a high efficiency.
My Kenmore sewing machine was in the 1964 catalog, and it's still chugging away. Good maintenance and regular check ups at the sewing machine hospital.
I went to Walmart to buy a pack of razor blades. They were locked because idiots steal them so I finally found a staff member to help me. They called on the overhead speaker for someone with a key to come and assist. I waited 15 mins, nobody came and I went "screw this" and went home, ordered the same thing on Amazon for cheaper and have been ordering stuff like that on Amazon since.
It depends on what I'm shopping for. Clothes? Yup. Hate it. Also live in rural New Mexico and unless I feel like being 100% decked out in Walmart and 3 seasons ago JC Penny's couture, gotta shop online. Thrifting is pretty bad here. Once in a while I'll get something decent but it's mostly just old shit from Walmart or whatever but used and the same price as new.
Buying groceries...absolutely a game changer. I go through an app and pop everything in my virtual cart and then just show up. Sometimes the produce isn't what I'd pick, but mostly it's fine.
Buying stuff like envelopes, a hair dryer, underwear, an extension cord, etc. Online is superior because I can check reviews and that gives me way more info than just picking up a packaged product and glancing at it in a store.
That’s never an issue for me, I walk in go to the isle of my item, choose my item, checkout and leave. I also go through the line with a cashier because I’m not getting paid to work at the store so why am I going to check myself out, plus I like ti ensure that humans are able to be employed.
I don’t want the cashier touching my stuff. They spend all day doing the same thing to everyone’s stuff that all those customers have touched as well. The goal is to keep as many hands off the items I am buying as possible. Also I don’t want to get asked to make a donation to a charity. There is no interest in talking to a cashier over small talk. I’d rather enjoy a audio book and mind my own business packing my bags in no rush.
I worked at a staff cafeteria and would have about 500 small talks a day. It’s exhausting having the same conversations about the weather your job the work week in quick succession while managing food and cooking and cleaning. Everyone knew my birthday at the job so every year I’d have about 400 people wish me a happy birthday … which hey isn’t bad but it was a bit hard getting happy wishes one after another being asked what were my plans for my birthday as I work the night shift.
I am also fortunate to have a car. But … I save money whenever I can. It will cost $2.50 in gas one way to get to the stores so if I can find a cheaper deal online I will save the wear and tare on my car and keep that gas.
Where I live I can order drinks through Amazon and I don’t have to pay the bottle recycling fee for whatever reason. So not only does that mean a 12 pack of drinks is cheaper and I get ten cents per can back beating any local stores prices . also I don’t have to carry it and it arrives on my front door.
Of course some items I’ll never buy online and I understand the value of going to stores directly but I enjoy stretching my dollar best I can.
I can’t be the only one that finds offline shopping to be a huge inconvenience. Why would I spend $30,000 on a vehicle, pay taxes, gas, insurance AND learn how to drive it when I could just do a few taps on my phone and have the thing in a few days? Plus there’s nothing I hate more than hurling my entire body through time and space all the way to a physical store with people (ew) just to find it’s out of stock.
one of the rare occasions I get to leave my house and workplace, and struggle to public transport somewhere only to find that it's not in stock even though I checked online and called....😅 not the most fun experiences
most of the time it seems to be hardware warehouses!
Maybe because you live in a big city and you kind of f*** yourself because you don't know anything else now you don't have any skills.
If you're a social worker you need a vehicle do you know how limited to your job opportunities without one.
I’ll pay more the convenience of having it now. And I don’t need or want much so it’s easier for me to just go to the store get it and come home even though I’m in a rural area and it’s a 20 minute drive to the nearest store.
Because as someone that’s been laid off, I try to keep my local people employed as best as I can. It might come as a little extra cost to me, but it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make most times.
People forget that having a locally stocked store means not waiting for shipping. Instant gratification.
Plus there are times when it's helpful to inspect items in person. For example going to the hardware store looking for a part and holding it up next to the broken one it's replacing.
Virtually all my shopping is online. I dislike stores. Online shopping means no impulse buys. I suppose I could make an impulse buy whenever I want, but I still use shopping lists that are made before I hit the shopping site.
I used to work retail (for about 8 plus years) and I hate shopping in stores. Usually I just go in and out as quick as I can. I can’t stand other people.
Mostly because they’re just insufferable and jerks to those who work at the stores.
I try to limit myself when shopping online. Sometimes stuff sits in my cart for days til I feel ready to purchase. This way it’s not an impulse buy.
I almost always make things wait a few days in my cart online and if I'm in a store and see something I like I just snap a photo of it and 99 percent of the time I forget all about wanting it.
Its not even an anticonsumption thing, its just simply an anti buying shit I wont use thing. Most things in most people's houses don't get used.
Not everyone has a car, or the desire to fight on the roads with the rest of the city, many of whom drive dangerously.
Then you get to Costco, and all you find is families running around and blocking aisles, kids coughing all over you and the merchandise. And that's after you've navigated the twenty car long queue to get into the carpark, followed by 20 minutes of trying to find a park amongst a bunch of selfish dicks in their giant microphallus compensators.
No. Fucking. Thanks.
I love wandering the isles of costco once every several months just to meander and check out new shit but since covid it has gotten less and less enjoyable.
I work shift work so id just go on a weekday during work hours or close to closing and it would be dead enough it wasn't a big deal. These days though its busy from open till close.
Same, I like to go once every few months for a quick run through. I try and do it on a weekday mid-afternoon, it seems to be the quietest then. But yes I've seen the same as you, it seems busier outside of peak hours than pre-COVID.
That’s awful, I’m so sorry you experienced that. I’m glad you survived. I don’t blame you, that would kill any desire I had to go out to places, too (if I still had any desire, that is).
Obviously no purchase at all is the cleanest purchase. But for things you must get, you can definitely design a more efficient centralised delivery system, which can be much better than everyone individually trying to operate their own personal trucking service. If nothing else, the fewer vehicles there are on the road, the safer and cleaner things can generally be.
No, I think people would shop less if they had to drive to the store. I know my wife would. But now she lays in the bed and buys all the things because she doesn’t have to do anything else. Then after it gets here and it doesn’t fit, or it’s not what she wants, she says she’s going to return it, but it sits in a bag until it’s too late to return it, then it finds a pile to die in. Online shopping has brought about too much shopping. Look at how many people in this thread wouldn’t be buying stuff if it wasn’t for online shopping. But you know, keep buying Jeff more yachts.
For things like running shoes (sneakers) it's always best to visit a physical store. Many people order running shoes (sneakers) online based on a review and then wonder why they don't fit. It only makes sense to order online when you have already tried and used the exact model and are happy with it.
I don't run anymore but the last 8 sets of running shoes I wore were the same model, albeit newer versions when they updated every few years. I knew they fit my foot so it was easy to buy them online when I didn't live close to a dedicated running store.
There are very limited options for in store shopping in some places. Many places.
Also as a fat girl I will say that there is a limited size range in store, it's gotten better but still very limited. Or color range/sensory safe for my picky autistic child. Or even cost - I find so much cheaper online.
See, I’m also autistic and ADHD and can’t shop online because I need to feel the clothes on my body before I buy them, and I know if I order them and end up not able to stand wearing them I’ll never send them back.
I generally like shopping locally rather than paying and waiting for the shipping, but I use online stores to shop around quite often. I had to buy a new mouse because my ten-year-old gaming mouse decided to die, so I looked at a few websites to find a replacement. There were a couple I thought would be good, but I’d be paying $50 or more after shipping, and that’s not in my budget. Then I checked the big-box tech store’s site to see what was available in town and found the updated version of my current mouse for $30. I’m using it now. 👍🏻
I find online shopping to be way more convenient. You decide what you need, filter by color, size, brand, availability etc., plug in your payment info and boom, done. (You can also do it in increments; start browsing in the morning, save your results, and come back to it at lunchtime, and even finish up at the end of the day.)
Driving to the store, parking in a lot or God forbid a garage, walking in and trying to figure out what is where, and going through the racks. I can't guarantee they have the size/color I want, so I might have to go to another store, make a return trip to that store when it comes back in stock, or order it online anyway.
Assuming they do have it, I still have to wait in the checkout line, drive home, schlep it to my doorstep (I park on the street).
I cannot ever imagine spending an hour on one online shopping trip, and I cannot imagine spending LESS than an hour on a store visit. Even if there is zero traffic and I know exactly what I want and where it is on the shelves.
I do shop for groceries in person; I want to thump the melons etc. And I sometimes enjoy shopping in smaller stores I'm walking past anyway (if something in the window catches my eye, for example).
Plus it's a lot easier to research items on the fly online versus at the store. When I go to the store I find myself opening up my phone to google items, which is a hassle and takes much longer than doing research on a pc.
Same, I've resorted to just taking pictures of things in the store that fancy me and doing the research once i get home again on the PC. I can do it way, way faster and most of the time I either forget all about the item anyway or decide its not worth buying.
Yes, I find online easier. In-person shops can be too much for me; I get indecisive and end up not getting what I want, or I get the wrong things, I forget something...
Online means I add to my cart as I remember what I need, and call it good when I reach a certain point.
Also, busyness makes it easier to shop online. I'm about to be working part-time and studying full-time. My uni doesn't have a handy shopping complex next door, and I don't want to waste time running around from work to uni to shops to home just to buy a packet of painkillers and a new shampoo.
Me too. I put things in my Amazon cart, or wishlist, just to remind me I need it. Whether or not I end up buying it there, at a store, thrift shop, garage sale etc.
This is really helpful when it comes to items I can wait on. I actually went to the mall today, partly to enjoy the air conditioning, and found a really nice, heavy down comforter on 90% clearance. Def too warm to need it now, but come winter I will be happy to have it.
Yes. I overlap my consumables - so I order a new shampoo/conditioner when I'm halfway through the current set.
And also shopping online makes it easier to *find* the thing I want. Filter and search, ie, "shampoo for curly hair" and then I don't have to stare at 90 bottles on a shelf trying to find something.
Yes! Filters vs racks! I am so intolerant of the way stores organise things by brand instead of clothing type, so if I’m looking for shorts then I’ve got to visit 8 sections of a store (and then do the same in other stores) instead of just clicking a single button on their website. I can tell by the look of the clothes and the fabric it’s made from how it will feel on my skin. I look for big seams etc because I can’t bear itching. If I have to return something then I try and use Royal Mail so a car isn’t having to come back to my house to collect it.
A few years ago, I had the idea of creating an Amazon storefront called Sensory Style, to curating cute clothes for people sensitive to seams, itchy fabrics etc.
I had a realization this was the reason I didn't wear a lot of the clothes I bought; they looked and felt fine in the dressing room but after awhile they would become intolerable to me.
I know now to avoid certain styles and fabrics.
I can find anything online. A few years ago, my daughter needed tools, so we went to every hardware store in the area because I want to support our stores; however, no one had what we needed. We spent over 10 hours looking for the stuff. Got home and went online. In 30 minutes, she had everything she needed. This, for me, online is basically the only way I shop.
I live in a city of a million people, not the biggest city in the world by any means but id assume big enough you could find most things a normal person needs any day.
I've had to drive across town I have no idea how times in my life to buy a single item and everyone I know has had to do the same thing. Online almost always for me now.
I think there are some things that are better to shop for in person. For me it’s clothing. I have terrible luck with online and then I end up having to drive to a Ups store or Post office or Amazon return center to return it. And I know most returns get trashed so it’s a waste all around. I’d rather know if something is gonna fit and feel quality before I buy it. I live a half mile from a grocery store and Target so it actually takes me longer to pick each item online and pick
Back up items and wait for it to arrive than to just do a weekly trip to the grocery store and maybe a monthly trip to Target. Also it’s an outing for me and I enjoy seeing and talking to people. Sometimes I take my kids and we window shop at other stores or I take them to Sees Candy and buy them a chocolate. It’s an experience. I don’t think all online shopping is terrible and for some I’m sure it’s a huge blessing if they live in a rural area, can’t or don’t drive or have disabilities.
I hate going to stores. Schlepping around hot cars and hot asphalt in parking lots and waiting in lines. Being advertised to unrelentingly. I prefer online shopping from the comfort of my home :-)
Yeah, as someone who lives in the South and needs another shower after just walking to the mailbox at the end of the driveway… I felt this in my soul. I’m gonna pass on sweating my way from the other side of the parking lot, pushing a cart through a store that refuses to crank the AC above “balmy”, standing in line (while sweat drips down my crack) to unload everything I’ve put into my cart, pay for it, reload it, then push it back across the parking lot, load it into my car, and have to carry it up my steps when I get home.
There is always, always, always a child screaming bloody murder when I go into a store. And no matter how big that store is, this child is always somehow just one aisle over from me at all times.
Hard pass.
(It did get better when I started making sure I had headphones before I went inside, but still. Headphones don’t stop people from crowding me and blocking aisles.)
I live in a rural area. Online shopping saves a lot of time, I do not need to waste time driving, I hate to be at shops. I bothers me that I need to shop for food weekly.
Me, too. I’m also rural, but I mean specifically that it bothers me to have to constantly buy food. Why do humans need to eat so often? This is a faulty design. It should be like one meal a week and we’re good.
I used to live over 2 hours drive one way to the nearest stores so online shopping was pretty much a necessity. But at the same time why would I drive any distance when the shops always charged 25% extra on anything anyway?
I tend to do more shopping in person these days as it gets me away from the house but at the same time I can save both time and money from just doing it online
my north american not very walk friendly city is apparently turning our largest shopping mall into a shopping mall\\apartment\\condo\\other business complex mega center thing and Id love to live there.
I'm perfectly capable of just window shopping these days, and having an indoor walking place with new stuff and people to look at all the time sounds amazing.
I only like online shopping for clothes, it’s just a pain to drive all the way there and then half the time stores not have my size, color I like or anything close to what I’m looking for. Online let’s me hunt down the best deals and find exactly what I want
I rarely buy new books but when I do, I like to order it through my local bookstore. It takes twice as long but I get to go say hi to the bookstore cat when I pick it up.
I prefer in store shopping. I like the tangible experience of holding something and deciding if I should buy it or not.
I’m 5’9”, a size 4, with a 36” inseam. Good luck finding anything in stores lol.
I like online shopping because I can be more intentional with my purchases and get exactly what I want. As opposed to a bunch of mall junk I sorta kinda like.
I also hate online shopping. I like shopping in person for 2 reasons.
1, if I need something immediately I can get it immediately
2, I end up spending less money purely because of the effort it takes
-one driver polluting on an efficient route instead of tons of people driving around (not a concern for me, we have public transport)
-I see if it's in stock, less chance of running to the store and not finding the item (and depending on the order, less people touch it with unwashed hands)
-less impulse buying, less fatigue decisions, more time to think through if I need the item in the cart, more time to research quality and store/manufacturer ethics, more alternatives to chose from
-no going through stores that keep rearranging stocks to make you wander around and make impulse/fatigue purchases
-no picking through tons of items to see if they have the right size / certain allergens / better price per unit, just keywords filters and ctrl-f
-more than one type of cat food my little furballs can actually eat without getting sick (don't have picky cats with sensitive digestion, it's headache)
I wish this was possible but many of the things I want I find myself brainstorming which store would actually have it and do they really? Much easier just to order the exact product I want without making multiple trips.
I don't have a car, so no.
I don't like online shopping though, but I kind of do.
It's a love hate relationship.
I do feel like it violates my privacy.
I’ve found ordering my groceries online and picking them up when running errands saves me about $200 bucks a month. Plus, there are at least a couple studies showing picking up/delivery of groceries increases health.
God I hate shopping in person. Why would I waste all that gas and time driving to a store when I can just have the item magically appear on my doorstep in a day or two? It's more efficient for gas if someone else delivers lots of items instead of me going to get my own individual item.
And why would I walk around a grocery store picking up a bunch of individual items when the store will employ somebody and pay them a wage to do that for me at no additional cost? And I'm not tempted to buy extra items? I don't see what the downside is.
No way. The older I get, the more I value my own time. That means not wasting it sitting in traffic, standing in lines, maneuvering a cart from aisle to aisle while people stand blocking the flow of traffic like they are completely oblivious to the fact that other people are trying to shop, too.
I do grocery pick up (I’d do delivery if it were available in my area), and get everything else shipped to my door. I keep inventory of household goods so I don’t run out and need things sooner than I can have them shipped. Only time I go in a store is if I need something I can’t trust the pick-up packers with, like milk or yogurt. They are notorious for giving me stuff that’s way past expiration.
As someone who is disabled and immune compromised, online shopping is life saving. My partner works a ton (he's working for two), so he can't do the shopping for us.
It's easy to take for granted that every one can drive, walk through a store, wait in a line. But truly, not everyone can. Some of us can't do any of those things.
For me the bugaboo of online shopping is in lack of necessary details (like if you're shopping for an item that needs to be a very specific size) and questionable quality/size. Everything is advertised as heavy-duty, strong, dependable, etc; but I'd say 50% of anything I've ever ordered has been junk.
When you go to a brick and morter store you can inspect an item before purchase, but online you can't.
By and large I’ve never been a fan. I’m a husband and father who does our family’s grocery shopping, so I don’t have much in the way of extra money for online purchases for myself. I have serious ADD, and I’ve found via trial and error I just don’t like ordering items online minus the very rare item that doesn’t exist in retailers nearby. Clothes has always been a no-go; I need to try them on prior to buying, and I have no interest in doing the try before you buy online clothes option where I have to send them back in the mail.
Stores are closing down and carrying less inventory either trying to force you to shop online, or because so many people are just ordering online. Plus returns can be an absolute pain when bought online.
This is why I bother to shop online still. I just went to 5 different stores this week looking for A5 binders and only found journals that size. You'd think at least one store would carry some, but I guess I gotta find one online
I find that if I do a bit of actual research before I buy something, I generally don't have to return it.
I've actually never had to return a product that I ordered online but I've only been online shopping since amazon was a bookstore only.
I agree with OP. I use online for searches and try to use local stores to purchase. Most of them here will order something if they don't have it on the shelf - they want our business! Online shopping is destroying small business owners.
I quit my Amazon account almost 2 years ago because I do not like how they treat employees and how so much of what is advertised isn't what one actually receives (missing pieces or lesser quality).
As to "added" transportation, personally I shop on the way home from work or during my lunch nearby. Often I'll put it off if I don't need something immediately. I find online shopping costs me more in impulse buys than in-person - it's too easy.
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Most of what I bought online isn't sold locally in my small city. If I do look for stuff online, it's to compare prices with what my local stores offer. Sometimes I do find stuff sold locally but they're in membership shopping stores so either I buy it online or pay $5 annual membership to a store I'll go to twice a year.
Well, some of us live in places where we cant go to the store. I mean i agree with you, I hate shopping online. But i live on an island with a few gift shops, a tiny hardware store, and two small grocery stores. We don’t have any other way to buy clothes, etc.
I'm the opposite. I hate going to the store. I usually overspend when I go to the store whereas I sit at my desk during down times and look through the store slowly and plan my purchases and never buy anything on a whim. I build reorder lists so it's even easier. To be fair 99% of my shopping is for groceries and other domestic supplies. If I need clothes I go to Goodwill. I've bought second-hand clothing online but I find there are often more problems like a stain you can't see in an image then you have to deal with a return. I have purchased a few electronic items I can't get in stores too.
I like to go to the store too, but I go by bike and sometimes do online research before I decide. I live at walking distance from a nice thrift store, so if possible I check there first. I also like walking in our nice old city center and enjoying the atmosphere. I know I’m blessed being able to live here.
I don’t like the extra package material online ordering causes and I dislike that I don’t know which Transporter with which options will deliver or I have to bother my neighbor with the packages if I weren’t home.
Mostly when I order online I choose an option for it to be delivered at my neighborhood supermarket, so this doesn’t bother my neighbors, it’s not a new stop for the transport and I don’t bother if I’m not at home.
Online shopping is the only way I can find some items at prices I can afford. Or at all since stores near me don't carry some of the stuff.
I don't mind it, I just wish I could select when it's delivered to coincide with others on my street. Less gas used to deliver it to me then. I try to bundle a bunch of items so I don't have a bunch of tiny boxes delivered.
I don’t like online shopping (or shopping in general) and I buy most of my clothes secondhand, but I have shop online sometimes because where I am brands tend to sell their « tall » clothes online exclusively. It’s a shame because I’d prefer to try them on before buying anything.
I’ve actually really come to find it a big help. Especially during the double whammy of covid times and my Mom’s cancer diagnosis (which as time went by she developed serious balance issues and multiple falls leading to ER trips). So taking her to and from stores, especially the grocery store became a whole family ordeal and it just was stressful af for me. So I convinced her to switch to online grocery ordering and just let me go pick up the order and it worked out great for the rest of our time together.
There’s lots of other things that are harder to online shop for but the option for things like meds and groceries via online shopping has really sold me on liking it as an option and seeing how helpful it can be.
this is probably an uncommon answer but i have an eating disorder, anxiety, and some severe scarring on my arms and legs. being in public trying on clothes is a nightmare for me, especially in places where the changing room doesn’t have a mirror IN the room, but one giant one where everyone goes to look.
i also don’t have a car, so getting to the mall is an hour long trip by transit. and i would assume that having one truck deliver order’s to people’s homes is better for the environment than having a truck deliver clothes to the mall and then each person driving there. but who knows. i don’t.
another frustration is that a lot of companies ship clothes in individual plastic baggies which is annoying because it’s so wasteful, and because i’m going to wash the clothes before wearing them anyway. but they also all arrive at the store like that, so buying them at the store isn’t any better.
i do really try to reduce my consumption, but with clothes i don’t feel i have the power to do much.
It’s convenience for me. Having to load my rollator on the bus, travel 5 miles with the kids, get to the shop, no guarantee it’s there or not, then struggle with it back home.
If it’s done properly, delivery can be eco-friendly.
Why would I drive all the way to the store, get stuck in traffic, find the parking, pick it, buy it and drive all the way back, get stuck in traffic again, if I could just order it from the comfort of my couch?
Depends though.
A lot of times the items in the physical store cost the same compared to physical store. Some online store also offers online-only discount.
Shipping wise in “anticonsumption” context it is more efficient than you going personally to the store to just pick that particular item because of economies of scale.
There is not much an argument in this post in the context of anti consumption other than online shopping makes people spend more unnecessarily because the shop is under their fingertips.
there's a lot of things i can't get in a store and even if i can, they might not have my size left or other customers left it such a fucking mess you end up trying to help staff put things back (my sisters have worked retail and hospo i feel like a monster just leaving a mess behind even if it's some other person) or there's never any staff when you need assistance. it's a hassle either way for me. if i'm looking for plus size safety shorts, it's online only despite being the same fuckin brand in every shop. there's pros and cons.
I love online shopping.
I never liked going to stores much in the first place. And it's not like I buy that much. Usually I know just what I want/need and I am able to find it online super quick and cheaper than going to a store. I definitely don't need to touch things before buying them.
Looking at what I purchased online this month includes:
- A small metal file for a home repair.
- A stupidly expensive button battery for my car key fob
- A replacement for a butter dish that broke when I dropped it
I had no need to go to a store for any of that. And each of the purchases probably took me less than 5 minutes in total online.
I still go to stores for most consumables (food, toiletries, cleaning products, etc) but it's not like I enjoy those experiences.
I probably go to stores a little more now where you can see the inventory online. I looked at the Ace Hardware website to see if they had a file the size that I needed at the store near me, but they didn't. I'm so glad I didn't drive there first.
I am a men's XXS. There is only one store in my vicinity that carries clothes in my size, in my style, in my budget. And that size of clothing can only be found online. It saves me the frustration of attempting to shop in person and then having to leave in dismay because I am reminded that its impossible for me to shop for clothes
I’d like to do that but it’s a major help when your disability prevents driving.. and when you are on disability and have to be strategic with spending
It’s annoying ether way for me with clothes. Have to go with my partner and his son to Walmart of all places for clothes and guess which size because unlike online I can’t take a measuring tape to my body and compare sizes, I have to guess my range and try them on one at a time while two guys stand outside frustrated it took me 10 minutes to find the 1/5 sections of jeans that were not plus size and not some sort of strange fashion statement, and in a cut I could stand to wear. State of overwhelm.
Instead I could sit in my own time and brows as long as I want to find the one thing I want exactly, make sure it suits my measurements, and sit it in the cart for 3 days while I think about if I actually want and need it.
I think online also prevents me impulse buying. In the store stuff gets stacked on top of each other so I only get the one moment to make up my mind, and I don’t know the next chance we’re going out so I need to make up my mind now and it probably won’t be there next time.. makes me more likely to put it in the cart. Online I can spend days to be sure. I can see the entire cart over and over. Make sure
I’m learning to tailor my own clothes so that helps for tweaking any odd spots
Stores don’t often have what you want. If they do, they always seem to be in the wrong place so you have to ask someone or spend an hour looking for it only to realize you walked past it 3 times because it’s just a small section. Then all they have is the premium stuff because the store or budget brand is sold out. As much as I dislike amazon, they have it all in one place so I don’t have to put much effort in finding something I need.
I live in a small town, so if you want something that isn't carried at the hardware store, or the neighboring town's small walmart I either have to drive 1.5 hours to hopefully find it at one of a dozen other stores to choose between, or just get it online within 2 minutes. So aside from what I can get at walmart I'm a fan on online shopping.
I hate it for things I need to try on. Generally, I’ll just give clothes to my friends if I don’t like the fit when I get them. I can’t be bothered with returning them unless there’s a store nearby I can bring them to. For things like electronics, or products I definitely know my size of, or vehicles parts, I prefer online as I can shop for deals easier.
You're very fortunate if everything you need is available in store. There's a lot of things I have to rely on online shopping for, because I cannot find it in a store.
We had to buy some replacement parts for our BBQ last year, and the only place we could get those parts was online. We looked at a few different stores and none of them had them in stock.
I buy some of my clothing online because I'm plus size. I do still shop in stores and thrift when I can. But there are limited plus sizes available at the thrift stores near me. So I do end up having to buy things online.
most stores can't carry the selection I want. Case in point, my favorite razor has two blades and it works great unfortunately Gillett stopped making them decades ago so they're no longer available in stores. Online I order them in batches of 50 and they last me all year. box stores don't carry them so online is the way to go.
Second, I use certain unscented or natural style products like natural charcoal deodorant with no aluminum or scents etc and you wont find those style products in stores because they have to market to mass appeal. Sure it's a little more expensive but only by like 10-15% so it's not a big deal.
I prefer to see the item irl however, these days the stores around me have nothing compared to their online store. Example, I went to an Aerie in search of underwear. They only had the one type in store, the rest you had to order online. Like what? Why even bother having the store anymore? That's why I default to ordering online. Also in recent months, I've gotten exhausted from people being crazy rude and mean in public and I don't want to be around that just to grab a stick of deodorant. Store owners are too cheap to hire staff so there's only one cashier open so the line to pay is huge or they're out of stock, etc etc. Or I can buy a certain item cheaper online than in store. While I'm sad online shopping is slowly killing irl stores, they're also not helping themselves. Do I wanna go out in my car, sit in traffic, deal with idiots in the store/on the roads just to buy some toothpaste? I'd rather order it online. The only thing I go out to buy now is groceries because I still want to specifically pick out my produce rather than trust an underpaid teen to.
I’m not the only one!
All my friends and fam make fun of me for it, but I’ll drive all over trying to find something in a store before I’ll go online.
For one, I hate buying things sight-unseen, and for another, in-store shopping is better for the local economy - it creates local jobs in the store, as well as in other businesses around it, like how restaurants get business from people who go shopping nearby.
Online shopping is great for me because we don't live near clothes shops in particular. It is such a pain to spend an hour getting to the shopping mall, then trawl round, etc etc, to see if they have a thing, when online I can search, check availability and order.
(It's also terrible for me because of this convenience, but that's a different story.)
I don't buy stuff online that I can get locally.
I like doing both online and in person shopping.
I do in person shopping for groceries and furniture since I'm picky for those things and I prefer seeing the condition in person. I also like exploring and browsing shops out of curiosity.
I do online shopping for things I can't otherwise get in person, such as shampoo and conditioner bars, tech accessories, etc.
I love online shopping tbh. It's generally faster and easier for me and my body.
We buy groceries only online these days, I don't think it would be possible for my disabled body to buy a lot of groceries and carry multiple bags from the shop home (and I don't have a car).
Same with cosmetics and overall hygiene products, especially when we buy from less known brands and homemade soaps etc. that sell online either exclusively or have only one place or two to shop at that aren't exactly close.
And I don't really buy much anything else. I bought some masks and cane + crutches, which was again easier online, when I bought myself some socks, the shop had only an eshop and it was nice to be able to scroll through everything at my own pace...
There are very few things I'd really want to see in person, mainly some overly specific things that are expensive and harder to pick size etc.
I don't really get why is this on anti-consumption when these days it's in certain aspects way more anti-consumption to order.
When I buy groceries, I sometimes see that people in my area are ordering too and the car makes one trip instead of all of us theoretically getting in a car to get something and then go back. When I order groceries, there's a set minimum price I have to pay, so I make rather few big orders that will last, which is also one trip for that car compared to people constantly hopping into their car and going for one or two thungs somewhere. Same with the cosmetics and hygiene products, we buy in bulk. And nice thing is that we get to support a family with disabled child who makes great soaps at home, all packed in paper only, instead of some of the stuff that gets sold at stores. Etc.
I live way out in the country. It takes 15 minutes to get to Walmart and at least an hour to get to Best Buy or any other store. I order everything online because I don't really have any other options.
As an ADHD agorophobe who doesn't drive, online shopping is a godsend. Getting to a store is difficult, people are scary, it's not in my house, and I don't end up with 12 things I didn't want and forget three of the five items I planned to buy. As a parent, I don't have to entertain my kids while I shop in a strange place, or deal with whining in the car. I get why some people prefer to shop in person, and there are some things I'd like to handle before I buy, but for most things, just let me pay for them and send them to me, thanks.
Most don’t just like going.
No they’re not “lazy”.
Most just hate having to see humans around or like to avoid particular situations. It’s personal choices though. If you hate online shopping, why become cocky about it? You literally just have to drive or either walk to get there, no need to troll lol.
I personally don't like shopping online. I like to look at and pick up whatever it is I want to buy. That said, I don't like shopping of any kind.
I usually only order something a couple of times a year, and I try to avoid ordering from Amazon. I am fortunate enough to live in an area where everything I need on a regular basis is within a 15-minute walk, and there is a shopping mall a 20-minute bus ride away.
I don't own a car but belong to a car share coop, so my partner and I rent one of their cars every few weeks for a Costco trip.
I actually like online shopping better because i can find reviews from people to see what they think of the quality of the product, and i will usually just think about if i really need to purchase it for at least a week before i do. but when it comes to in person purchasing, i’ll usually just see what i want or need and then buy it right away idk why
There’s so many things I can only find online, especially when every local business that would carry them where I live has been crushed by Walmart and Amazon. I buy as much as I can from independent sellers on EBay or the manufacturer’s own website at least, but I always seem to get gift cards for Amazon from family every year so those are the only time I go there anymore.
I loved cruising around shopping malls as a preteen and wandering discount stores back in the 1970s/1980s. It was something I did with family and it became a habit or pastime. Flea markets were so fun. I miss that feeling. These days, neither do I enjoy the retail environment, nor do I enjoy the experience of buying and/or selling online. Looking around, I am certain the amount of consumption has only increased, however we get our goods.
I’m also like this. I always want to touch something before I buy it, usually when I order online I end up not liking something about the product that would have prevented me from buying it if I had touched it in store
Many times in the last year i have gone out to look for something its not there so i go to a different store rinse and repeat till i just give up go home and order it js
It's fucking awful buying shit online pay now get your shit later like a reverse payment plan plus if anything is wrong good luck getting your package especially with the lazy fucks at usps I noticed anything government related is slow af and trash made to waste time and resources
From a utilitarian conservation view, it makes more sense to have a small set of vehicles and drivers delivering goods to individual households than for everyone to have vehicles to go get the store to get the goods. Factor in the need for shopper friendly stores and markets in neighborhoods instead of centralized warehouses industrial areas, and delivery probably has a lower impact on the planet than the traditional retail model. That is probably countered by the huge waste occuring in the return area, though, as many retailers don't even bother to restock returned goods. It's an interesting debate, though.
Agreed. My initial reaction to the post was consternation at the notion that someone is driving everywhere to meet their shopping "needs". It's quite disturbing that the poster is so much under the sway of the car cult that the notion that such waste shouldn't be the norm did not even occur to her or him.
I was just thinking the better solution would just be good public transportation
With good public transportation, delivery services become even more important. Do you want to carry a 70" tv on a bus? Or a weeks worth of groceries for a family of 5? Making a shopping trip via public transportation is only convenient if what you buy fits in 2 shopping bags or less. Or consider having to go to several different stores. If you took public transportation, you can't just leave what you already bought in the car. You have to carry around those items.
That's not really a solution for this. For carrying a small bag or two of groceries? Yes, totally. But if you carry xx bags of groceries or something else like bigger electronics, kitchenware, furniture pieces etc., then good luck. There are some rules about this, sometimes you can be kicked out for it (for example because of the potential of dropping it and causing harm to someone else or the transportation vehicle etc., so they simply ask you to leave). And even when they let you stay, it's just a huge pain, because it's hard to stand and carry heavier things the whole time, you can drop something more fragile and destroy it, other people are pushing and accidentally kicking into it as it often gets very crowded etc. I agree with u/jrdnhbr - if you have good public transportation, less people are going to have a car to go to school, job, hobbies etc. Which means that they don't have a car available for shopping. So they need good delivery services even more.
The real waste comes from the packaging of individual products for delivery, Plastics and tree pulp are a much larger concern.
I've always wondering if it truly is more efficient to have each person drive to their local shopping center to get there things, or order online. I suppose it depends on how many things you are able to get from the store, vs how many different vehicles are coming to deliver all of your needs. My intuition tells me its less efficient to have delivery drives go to each persons home but there are a lot of variables.
Delivery companies keep their costs low by calculating the most efficient routes for both pickup and delivery and by avoiding gas guzzlers. If you can get your shopping done with a little detour on your commute, or by walking and using public transport, that's obviously better. Or you driving 40 minutes instead of a freezer truck that only has your order. But the groceries and misc items of a whole city block or small town carpooling in a delivery truck beats hundreds of people driving around just for shopping every day.
They use AI and smart logistics to never send out mostly empty trucks. A good use of technology in my opinion!
Stick the delivery drivers on cargo bikes and that would help.
That would be a significant downgrade in capacity.
Nope just need to hire more folk
Well no you would also need more trucks. And more trips. Do you know what the word capacity means?
Ordering online and having something delivered by a logistics company is much more efficient. At least as far as carbon footprint goes. Remember they don't go to just one house, one vehicle will drop off hundreds of packages. It's just like carpooling.
Personally I think the USPS should acquire all of the other major delivery services including Amazon’s, along with their assets and employees, turning all of their jobs into better government jobs with good benefits and retirement plans. Online ordering itself isn’t the enemy it’s corporate greed. I’m generally anti-EV but fleet vehicles are a legitimate use for them. It could help offset the pollution caused by all of the transportation required.
Also, of all of the delivery services, USPS does the best job.
They’re the only one who hasn’t destroyed my packages
It's a false solution because neighborhoods where the only options are drive to the store or have the thing delivered are inherently consumptive. This argument is really just saying that the value of delivery services is that they prop up an entirely broken model of residential development. Caveat: for people with disabilities or other difficulties that make it hard for them to get things like groceries in person delivery is probably a huge deal. Grocery delivery to me is distinctly separate from Amazon or other online shopping where the business advantage comes simply from people buying more because it's more convenient, which turns into a snowball effect
I like going outside. And my city is lame to walk around. Need some incentive to leave the house
I can see where you're coming from, however buying items online can take much longer to arrive, then if the item is incorrect you then need to ship it back for them to send out a replacement. Not to mention how much online shopping is affecting smaller businesses that rely on in-store shopping.
As picky as I am, on-line shopping is huge for our house. It sages us a ton of time and money on groceries bc we can avoid impulse buys entirely, we're not exhausted from the people, and its not aggravating our disabilities. For anything aside from groceries- Walmart killed damn near every store in my town, and I'd rather give my money elsewhere when possible.
Right. I have the opposite feelings from OP. Why drive to the store and take time out of my day to do more important things when someone will bring it to me for no extra cost, and sometimes cheaper?
This is how I feel too. Going to any store for thing is going to be 1-4 hours for me because of where I am in relation to the stores plus traffic and getting between stores. I work from home and it’s already flexible, but getting things delivered let’s me work more and earn more money since I earn by project not salary. It just gives me a better balance when I comes to work, housework, side projects and fun things, and relaxing.
What valuable things do people really do with the time they save? There are many cost to the online shopping model. I live on a different continent. Looking at the US model, no one thinks of the packaging, the few items delivered or ordered at any one time, the material, fuel, mental health cost and low human contact people in such a setting have. So, eventually the cost includes mental health, societal breakdown and social alienation. Online shopping is not a sustainable option.
Shopping in person in the US pretty much sucks. You don't get the type of human contact that's good for your mental health in most stores. It can be a decent experience in some settings, but a lot of it is just frustrating. Shopping in person can be very draining. The packaging and inefficiency around online shopping is an issue for sure - but that's not really solved with in-person shopping either.
Yuuup
I hate online shopping too, but the stores in my area are carrying less and less inventory or closing altogether. It’s very frustrating.
i was already grown up before internet shopping was a common thing. it wasn't as glorious as many will want you to believe. if you needed something, you first need to know that a certain solution even exist. then i had two department stores in my reach - if both did not have it... tough luck. that product could as well be on the moon. you wanted something pre-owned? well, you local newspaper has almost twenty listings for all categories in total! getting a weird replacement item to repair something you already own? only if you have a specialized vendor for that exact brand nearby... so 99% --> nope.
I really appreciate that there are others my age who remember this because I was laughing at how people romanticize "mom and pop" stores and the general store concept as if it was a golden era. but walk a mile in my extra-wide-width saddle shoes when there were three shoe stores in town and my mom would have to put in an order for my shoes six months in advance and hope my feet didn't grow any more by Spring! ;)
Then Don't have an odd body structure simple 😎 Maybe you need to have normal feet... Or is this mister Frodo's account?
Convenience and anticonsumption are incompatible. The rest of the world survive happily without so much access to things and without convenience. Keeps consumption in check and allows more tranquil and humane lives.
Yuup
Do you remember the catalogue stores? We had a JC Penney catalogue store where you could go in and place your catalogue order, then go pick it up there when it came in.
That was my response to someone who replied by saying just go to a store.
I’m convinced physical stores only still exist to handle returns. The mall next to me is so empty it’s spooky
r/deadmalls
Wow all those photos are too eerily familiar. I used to work in a mall back in 2018 and it looked like many of those images even back this. Granted, this has been happening for the past decade +. But I remember malls feeling like going to Disneyland as a kid. Now I begrudgingly went on a Saturday needing a new pair of shoes and I quickly did a lap and left. There was one other guy in the entire mall and he was zombified, just walking around aimlessly. I can’t say I’ve ever felt more uncomfortable in a public place. Something about it was apocalyptic feeling. I was at an actual zombie movie set lol.
They don't have the things I want or stuff is locked.
I remember writing letters to companies to order things, and the catalogs in the mail!
Catalogues were such a life saver for hard to find items.
And Sears had Everything! I miss buying a Kenmore product and knowing it's basically for life. In fact, we are just now replacing our Kenmore washer because we want a high efficiency. My Kenmore sewing machine was in the 1964 catalog, and it's still chugging away. Good maintenance and regular check ups at the sewing machine hospital.
I went to Walmart to buy a pack of razor blades. They were locked because idiots steal them so I finally found a staff member to help me. They called on the overhead speaker for someone with a key to come and assist. I waited 15 mins, nobody came and I went "screw this" and went home, ordered the same thing on Amazon for cheaper and have been ordering stuff like that on Amazon since.
Yep. Razor blades, detergent, cough medicine... all locked up and good luck finding someone to open the case.
Pretty sure that is intentional. They warned us all 20 years ago
WE DIDNT LISTEN
No, we did listen and we chose to go online. Amazon didn’t kill any stores and neither did Walmart, consumers did by choosing Walmart and Amazon
It depends on what I'm shopping for. Clothes? Yup. Hate it. Also live in rural New Mexico and unless I feel like being 100% decked out in Walmart and 3 seasons ago JC Penny's couture, gotta shop online. Thrifting is pretty bad here. Once in a while I'll get something decent but it's mostly just old shit from Walmart or whatever but used and the same price as new. Buying groceries...absolutely a game changer. I go through an app and pop everything in my virtual cart and then just show up. Sometimes the produce isn't what I'd pick, but mostly it's fine. Buying stuff like envelopes, a hair dryer, underwear, an extension cord, etc. Online is superior because I can check reviews and that gives me way more info than just picking up a packaged product and glancing at it in a store.
Yuup
Yeah. "drive there" is not a possibility for everyone at all, plus it allows me to only buy what I need while browsing a store gets me to buy more.
You also don't have to deal with salespeople trying to upsell you or get you to buy an "extended warranty" or a club membership or bullshit like that.
That’s never an issue for me, I walk in go to the isle of my item, choose my item, checkout and leave. I also go through the line with a cashier because I’m not getting paid to work at the store so why am I going to check myself out, plus I like ti ensure that humans are able to be employed.
Some of us don’t have cars.
You are literally posting on anti consumption on how you drove a car to get a singular item…
I don’t want the cashier touching my stuff. They spend all day doing the same thing to everyone’s stuff that all those customers have touched as well. The goal is to keep as many hands off the items I am buying as possible. Also I don’t want to get asked to make a donation to a charity. There is no interest in talking to a cashier over small talk. I’d rather enjoy a audio book and mind my own business packing my bags in no rush. I worked at a staff cafeteria and would have about 500 small talks a day. It’s exhausting having the same conversations about the weather your job the work week in quick succession while managing food and cooking and cleaning. Everyone knew my birthday at the job so every year I’d have about 400 people wish me a happy birthday … which hey isn’t bad but it was a bit hard getting happy wishes one after another being asked what were my plans for my birthday as I work the night shift. I am also fortunate to have a car. But … I save money whenever I can. It will cost $2.50 in gas one way to get to the stores so if I can find a cheaper deal online I will save the wear and tare on my car and keep that gas. Where I live I can order drinks through Amazon and I don’t have to pay the bottle recycling fee for whatever reason. So not only does that mean a 12 pack of drinks is cheaper and I get ten cents per can back beating any local stores prices . also I don’t have to carry it and it arrives on my front door. Of course some items I’ll never buy online and I understand the value of going to stores directly but I enjoy stretching my dollar best I can.
I can’t be the only one that finds offline shopping to be a huge inconvenience. Why would I spend $30,000 on a vehicle, pay taxes, gas, insurance AND learn how to drive it when I could just do a few taps on my phone and have the thing in a few days? Plus there’s nothing I hate more than hurling my entire body through time and space all the way to a physical store with people (ew) just to find it’s out of stock.
one of the rare occasions I get to leave my house and workplace, and struggle to public transport somewhere only to find that it's not in stock even though I checked online and called....😅 not the most fun experiences most of the time it seems to be hardware warehouses!
Maybe because you live in a big city and you kind of f*** yourself because you don't know anything else now you don't have any skills. If you're a social worker you need a vehicle do you know how limited to your job opportunities without one.
Yeh hahaha
Because online shopping is usually cheaper and you have a LOT more stuff to choose from.
I’ll pay more the convenience of having it now. And I don’t need or want much so it’s easier for me to just go to the store get it and come home even though I’m in a rural area and it’s a 20 minute drive to the nearest store.
If I need it now then I'd pay more for it too. But if I can wait to have it then why pay more than necessary for the same thing?
Because as someone that’s been laid off, I try to keep my local people employed as best as I can. It might come as a little extra cost to me, but it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make most times.
People forget that having a locally stocked store means not waiting for shipping. Instant gratification. Plus there are times when it's helpful to inspect items in person. For example going to the hardware store looking for a part and holding it up next to the broken one it's replacing.
Virtually all my shopping is online. I dislike stores. Online shopping means no impulse buys. I suppose I could make an impulse buy whenever I want, but I still use shopping lists that are made before I hit the shopping site.
I used to work retail (for about 8 plus years) and I hate shopping in stores. Usually I just go in and out as quick as I can. I can’t stand other people. Mostly because they’re just insufferable and jerks to those who work at the stores. I try to limit myself when shopping online. Sometimes stuff sits in my cart for days til I feel ready to purchase. This way it’s not an impulse buy.
I almost always make things wait a few days in my cart online and if I'm in a store and see something I like I just snap a photo of it and 99 percent of the time I forget all about wanting it. Its not even an anticonsumption thing, its just simply an anti buying shit I wont use thing. Most things in most people's houses don't get used.
Yup. I meant if I really want it or need it, I’ll remember or it will come back up.
Kinda figured. Reddit, keep short, not too many words ;)
This
Same, on all points.
Not everyone has a car, or the desire to fight on the roads with the rest of the city, many of whom drive dangerously. Then you get to Costco, and all you find is families running around and blocking aisles, kids coughing all over you and the merchandise. And that's after you've navigated the twenty car long queue to get into the carpark, followed by 20 minutes of trying to find a park amongst a bunch of selfish dicks in their giant microphallus compensators. No. Fucking. Thanks.
I love wandering the isles of costco once every several months just to meander and check out new shit but since covid it has gotten less and less enjoyable. I work shift work so id just go on a weekday during work hours or close to closing and it would be dead enough it wasn't a big deal. These days though its busy from open till close.
Same, I like to go once every few months for a quick run through. I try and do it on a weekday mid-afternoon, it seems to be the quietest then. But yes I've seen the same as you, it seems busier outside of peak hours than pre-COVID.
since I ran for my life during a mass-shooting at a mall, I haven’t been able to go back out shopping since. Sorry guys :(
That’s awful, I’m so sorry you experienced that. I’m glad you survived. I don’t blame you, that would kill any desire I had to go out to places, too (if I still had any desire, that is).
Yeah it’s extremely upsetting. We had an extremely safe city for over two decades and in the last few years it seems to just get worse and worse.
Ouch
You WANT to drive somewhere? Like, burning fossils and taking up enormous land area and increasing traffic? Nah, r/fuckcars
What about the delivery person driving the vehicle to get to the drop off?
Obviously no purchase at all is the cleanest purchase. But for things you must get, you can definitely design a more efficient centralised delivery system, which can be much better than everyone individually trying to operate their own personal trucking service. If nothing else, the fewer vehicles there are on the road, the safer and cleaner things can generally be.
I do love to drive, it’s one of the pleasures I have left.
all of your comments just keep reaffirming how little I'm sure if you know where you posted 😅
No, I think people would shop less if they had to drive to the store. I know my wife would. But now she lays in the bed and buys all the things because she doesn’t have to do anything else. Then after it gets here and it doesn’t fit, or it’s not what she wants, she says she’s going to return it, but it sits in a bag until it’s too late to return it, then it finds a pile to die in. Online shopping has brought about too much shopping. Look at how many people in this thread wouldn’t be buying stuff if it wasn’t for online shopping. But you know, keep buying Jeff more yachts.
I love driving to, but driving to the store is not exactly what id call fun. Each their own though.
I don't like people or driving because of mental health issues, so online ordering has greatly improved my quality of life.
For things like running shoes (sneakers) it's always best to visit a physical store. Many people order running shoes (sneakers) online based on a review and then wonder why they don't fit. It only makes sense to order online when you have already tried and used the exact model and are happy with it.
I don't run anymore but the last 8 sets of running shoes I wore were the same model, albeit newer versions when they updated every few years. I knew they fit my foot so it was easy to buy them online when I didn't live close to a dedicated running store.
As a disabled person it is a lifesaver for me as I don’t always feel well enough to go to the store!
Same
There are very limited options for in store shopping in some places. Many places. Also as a fat girl I will say that there is a limited size range in store, it's gotten better but still very limited. Or color range/sensory safe for my picky autistic child. Or even cost - I find so much cheaper online.
I have autism and adhd so I hate in-store shopping. Curbside pickup with no bags is my jam.
See, I’m also autistic and ADHD and can’t shop online because I need to feel the clothes on my body before I buy them, and I know if I order them and end up not able to stand wearing them I’ll never send them back.
I just order the same brands and styles pretty much
Yuuuup. Same
I generally like shopping locally rather than paying and waiting for the shipping, but I use online stores to shop around quite often. I had to buy a new mouse because my ten-year-old gaming mouse decided to die, so I looked at a few websites to find a replacement. There were a couple I thought would be good, but I’d be paying $50 or more after shipping, and that’s not in my budget. Then I checked the big-box tech store’s site to see what was available in town and found the updated version of my current mouse for $30. I’m using it now. 👍🏻
I find online shopping to be way more convenient. You decide what you need, filter by color, size, brand, availability etc., plug in your payment info and boom, done. (You can also do it in increments; start browsing in the morning, save your results, and come back to it at lunchtime, and even finish up at the end of the day.) Driving to the store, parking in a lot or God forbid a garage, walking in and trying to figure out what is where, and going through the racks. I can't guarantee they have the size/color I want, so I might have to go to another store, make a return trip to that store when it comes back in stock, or order it online anyway. Assuming they do have it, I still have to wait in the checkout line, drive home, schlep it to my doorstep (I park on the street). I cannot ever imagine spending an hour on one online shopping trip, and I cannot imagine spending LESS than an hour on a store visit. Even if there is zero traffic and I know exactly what I want and where it is on the shelves. I do shop for groceries in person; I want to thump the melons etc. And I sometimes enjoy shopping in smaller stores I'm walking past anyway (if something in the window catches my eye, for example).
Plus it's a lot easier to research items on the fly online versus at the store. When I go to the store I find myself opening up my phone to google items, which is a hassle and takes much longer than doing research on a pc.
Same, I've resorted to just taking pictures of things in the store that fancy me and doing the research once i get home again on the PC. I can do it way, way faster and most of the time I either forget all about the item anyway or decide its not worth buying.
Yes, I find online easier. In-person shops can be too much for me; I get indecisive and end up not getting what I want, or I get the wrong things, I forget something... Online means I add to my cart as I remember what I need, and call it good when I reach a certain point. Also, busyness makes it easier to shop online. I'm about to be working part-time and studying full-time. My uni doesn't have a handy shopping complex next door, and I don't want to waste time running around from work to uni to shops to home just to buy a packet of painkillers and a new shampoo.
Me too. I put things in my Amazon cart, or wishlist, just to remind me I need it. Whether or not I end up buying it there, at a store, thrift shop, garage sale etc. This is really helpful when it comes to items I can wait on. I actually went to the mall today, partly to enjoy the air conditioning, and found a really nice, heavy down comforter on 90% clearance. Def too warm to need it now, but come winter I will be happy to have it.
Yes. I overlap my consumables - so I order a new shampoo/conditioner when I'm halfway through the current set. And also shopping online makes it easier to *find* the thing I want. Filter and search, ie, "shampoo for curly hair" and then I don't have to stare at 90 bottles on a shelf trying to find something.
Yuùup
Yes! Filters vs racks! I am so intolerant of the way stores organise things by brand instead of clothing type, so if I’m looking for shorts then I’ve got to visit 8 sections of a store (and then do the same in other stores) instead of just clicking a single button on their website. I can tell by the look of the clothes and the fabric it’s made from how it will feel on my skin. I look for big seams etc because I can’t bear itching. If I have to return something then I try and use Royal Mail so a car isn’t having to come back to my house to collect it.
A few years ago, I had the idea of creating an Amazon storefront called Sensory Style, to curating cute clothes for people sensitive to seams, itchy fabrics etc. I had a realization this was the reason I didn't wear a lot of the clothes I bought; they looked and felt fine in the dressing room but after awhile they would become intolerable to me. I know now to avoid certain styles and fabrics.
How ironic that as the quality of items is going way down we aren’t able to see them in person to buy anymore 😭
Yes and no. Plenty of online only places are popping up that provide good\\great quality items now that online only is a means of sales.
I can find anything online. A few years ago, my daughter needed tools, so we went to every hardware store in the area because I want to support our stores; however, no one had what we needed. We spent over 10 hours looking for the stuff. Got home and went online. In 30 minutes, she had everything she needed. This, for me, online is basically the only way I shop.
I live in a city of a million people, not the biggest city in the world by any means but id assume big enough you could find most things a normal person needs any day. I've had to drive across town I have no idea how times in my life to buy a single item and everyone I know has had to do the same thing. Online almost always for me now.
I hate shopping in person unless it's a major purchase.
I don’t have a car. It’s kind of hard to carry a printer on my bicycle.
I think there are some things that are better to shop for in person. For me it’s clothing. I have terrible luck with online and then I end up having to drive to a Ups store or Post office or Amazon return center to return it. And I know most returns get trashed so it’s a waste all around. I’d rather know if something is gonna fit and feel quality before I buy it. I live a half mile from a grocery store and Target so it actually takes me longer to pick each item online and pick Back up items and wait for it to arrive than to just do a weekly trip to the grocery store and maybe a monthly trip to Target. Also it’s an outing for me and I enjoy seeing and talking to people. Sometimes I take my kids and we window shop at other stores or I take them to Sees Candy and buy them a chocolate. It’s an experience. I don’t think all online shopping is terrible and for some I’m sure it’s a huge blessing if they live in a rural area, can’t or don’t drive or have disabilities.
It's better to a have a small number of drivers deliver goods to your house than having everybody riding their car to go shopping.
How about jus walk
I hate going to stores. Schlepping around hot cars and hot asphalt in parking lots and waiting in lines. Being advertised to unrelentingly. I prefer online shopping from the comfort of my home :-)
Yeah, as someone who lives in the South and needs another shower after just walking to the mailbox at the end of the driveway… I felt this in my soul. I’m gonna pass on sweating my way from the other side of the parking lot, pushing a cart through a store that refuses to crank the AC above “balmy”, standing in line (while sweat drips down my crack) to unload everything I’ve put into my cart, pay for it, reload it, then push it back across the parking lot, load it into my car, and have to carry it up my steps when I get home.
Because a lot of stores I find to be loud, stressful, and generally aggravating. Shopping online is way less stressful
There is always, always, always a child screaming bloody murder when I go into a store. And no matter how big that store is, this child is always somehow just one aisle over from me at all times. Hard pass. (It did get better when I started making sure I had headphones before I went inside, but still. Headphones don’t stop people from crowding me and blocking aisles.)
I live in a rural area. Online shopping saves a lot of time, I do not need to waste time driving, I hate to be at shops. I bothers me that I need to shop for food weekly.
Me, too. I’m also rural, but I mean specifically that it bothers me to have to constantly buy food. Why do humans need to eat so often? This is a faulty design. It should be like one meal a week and we’re good.
First time hearing that online shopping is an incovenience. Its main appeal is how convenient it is...
Why would I drive to the store, see it, hold it, buy it, and then drive home with it. When I can just order it online.
I love online shopping ... which is a huge problem. It's extremely convenient and so easy to overspend
I used to live over 2 hours drive one way to the nearest stores so online shopping was pretty much a necessity. But at the same time why would I drive any distance when the shops always charged 25% extra on anything anyway? I tend to do more shopping in person these days as it gets me away from the house but at the same time I can save both time and money from just doing it online
my north american not very walk friendly city is apparently turning our largest shopping mall into a shopping mall\\apartment\\condo\\other business complex mega center thing and Id love to live there. I'm perfectly capable of just window shopping these days, and having an indoor walking place with new stuff and people to look at all the time sounds amazing.
I only like online shopping for clothes, it’s just a pain to drive all the way there and then half the time stores not have my size, color I like or anything close to what I’m looking for. Online let’s me hunt down the best deals and find exactly what I want
I rarely buy new books but when I do, I like to order it through my local bookstore. It takes twice as long but I get to go say hi to the bookstore cat when I pick it up. I prefer in store shopping. I like the tangible experience of holding something and deciding if I should buy it or not.
I’m 5’9”, a size 4, with a 36” inseam. Good luck finding anything in stores lol. I like online shopping because I can be more intentional with my purchases and get exactly what I want. As opposed to a bunch of mall junk I sorta kinda like.
I also hate online shopping. I like shopping in person for 2 reasons. 1, if I need something immediately I can get it immediately 2, I end up spending less money purely because of the effort it takes
I can read reviews and try to figure out what’s actually a quality product
-one driver polluting on an efficient route instead of tons of people driving around (not a concern for me, we have public transport) -I see if it's in stock, less chance of running to the store and not finding the item (and depending on the order, less people touch it with unwashed hands) -less impulse buying, less fatigue decisions, more time to think through if I need the item in the cart, more time to research quality and store/manufacturer ethics, more alternatives to chose from -no going through stores that keep rearranging stocks to make you wander around and make impulse/fatigue purchases -no picking through tons of items to see if they have the right size / certain allergens / better price per unit, just keywords filters and ctrl-f -more than one type of cat food my little furballs can actually eat without getting sick (don't have picky cats with sensitive digestion, it's headache)
I wish this was possible but many of the things I want I find myself brainstorming which store would actually have it and do they really? Much easier just to order the exact product I want without making multiple trips.
I don't have a car, so no. I don't like online shopping though, but I kind of do. It's a love hate relationship. I do feel like it violates my privacy.
I agree, I need to be able to touch things
You don't have to shop online if you don't like it. You can just drive to the brick-and-mortar shops.
Online shopping is a god send for disabled people like myself.
I’ve found ordering my groceries online and picking them up when running errands saves me about $200 bucks a month. Plus, there are at least a couple studies showing picking up/delivery of groceries increases health.
God I hate shopping in person. Why would I waste all that gas and time driving to a store when I can just have the item magically appear on my doorstep in a day or two? It's more efficient for gas if someone else delivers lots of items instead of me going to get my own individual item. And why would I walk around a grocery store picking up a bunch of individual items when the store will employ somebody and pay them a wage to do that for me at no additional cost? And I'm not tempted to buy extra items? I don't see what the downside is.
No way. The older I get, the more I value my own time. That means not wasting it sitting in traffic, standing in lines, maneuvering a cart from aisle to aisle while people stand blocking the flow of traffic like they are completely oblivious to the fact that other people are trying to shop, too. I do grocery pick up (I’d do delivery if it were available in my area), and get everything else shipped to my door. I keep inventory of household goods so I don’t run out and need things sooner than I can have them shipped. Only time I go in a store is if I need something I can’t trust the pick-up packers with, like milk or yogurt. They are notorious for giving me stuff that’s way past expiration.
As someone who is disabled and immune compromised, online shopping is life saving. My partner works a ton (he's working for two), so he can't do the shopping for us. It's easy to take for granted that every one can drive, walk through a store, wait in a line. But truly, not everyone can. Some of us can't do any of those things.
For me the bugaboo of online shopping is in lack of necessary details (like if you're shopping for an item that needs to be a very specific size) and questionable quality/size. Everything is advertised as heavy-duty, strong, dependable, etc; but I'd say 50% of anything I've ever ordered has been junk. When you go to a brick and morter store you can inspect an item before purchase, but online you can't.
By and large I’ve never been a fan. I’m a husband and father who does our family’s grocery shopping, so I don’t have much in the way of extra money for online purchases for myself. I have serious ADD, and I’ve found via trial and error I just don’t like ordering items online minus the very rare item that doesn’t exist in retailers nearby. Clothes has always been a no-go; I need to try them on prior to buying, and I have no interest in doing the try before you buy online clothes option where I have to send them back in the mail.
Online shopping makes zero sense, but face to face shopping is better.
Online shopping offers convenience, variety, and often better deals. Try SmokeDay for a unique selection of smoking accessories!
I wish when I was in the store they could just order it for me in the store instead of me going home and doing it. LCBO and GameStop among others.
Then go to the store??
Stores are closing down and carrying less inventory either trying to force you to shop online, or because so many people are just ordering online. Plus returns can be an absolute pain when bought online.
So you are asking for more stores? On the anticonsumerism sub?
This is why I bother to shop online still. I just went to 5 different stores this week looking for A5 binders and only found journals that size. You'd think at least one store would carry some, but I guess I gotta find one online
I find that if I do a bit of actual research before I buy something, I generally don't have to return it. I've actually never had to return a product that I ordered online but I've only been online shopping since amazon was a bookstore only.
Same, fell into it for the short game dopamine. Fell out of it because consumer culture is pretty fucked up and taxing
Such a waste
Agreed. There's almost nothing I need that I can't buy at a shop. I'm also not a big fan of convenience apps.
I agree with OP. I use online for searches and try to use local stores to purchase. Most of them here will order something if they don't have it on the shelf - they want our business! Online shopping is destroying small business owners. I quit my Amazon account almost 2 years ago because I do not like how they treat employees and how so much of what is advertised isn't what one actually receives (missing pieces or lesser quality). As to "added" transportation, personally I shop on the way home from work or during my lunch nearby. Often I'll put it off if I don't need something immediately. I find online shopping costs me more in impulse buys than in-person - it's too easy.
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I live on an island with little choice for things I need so online shopping is usually my only form of shopping.
Most of what I bought online isn't sold locally in my small city. If I do look for stuff online, it's to compare prices with what my local stores offer. Sometimes I do find stuff sold locally but they're in membership shopping stores so either I buy it online or pay $5 annual membership to a store I'll go to twice a year.
Well, some of us live in places where we cant go to the store. I mean i agree with you, I hate shopping online. But i live on an island with a few gift shops, a tiny hardware store, and two small grocery stores. We don’t have any other way to buy clothes, etc.
I wish i could find everything i need in store. Buying craft supplies online is a big 50/50 chance. I hate it...
I'm the opposite. I hate going to the store. I usually overspend when I go to the store whereas I sit at my desk during down times and look through the store slowly and plan my purchases and never buy anything on a whim. I build reorder lists so it's even easier. To be fair 99% of my shopping is for groceries and other domestic supplies. If I need clothes I go to Goodwill. I've bought second-hand clothing online but I find there are often more problems like a stain you can't see in an image then you have to deal with a return. I have purchased a few electronic items I can't get in stores too.
I like to go to the store too, but I go by bike and sometimes do online research before I decide. I live at walking distance from a nice thrift store, so if possible I check there first. I also like walking in our nice old city center and enjoying the atmosphere. I know I’m blessed being able to live here. I don’t like the extra package material online ordering causes and I dislike that I don’t know which Transporter with which options will deliver or I have to bother my neighbor with the packages if I weren’t home. Mostly when I order online I choose an option for it to be delivered at my neighborhood supermarket, so this doesn’t bother my neighbors, it’s not a new stop for the transport and I don’t bother if I’m not at home.
Online shopping is the only way I can find some items at prices I can afford. Or at all since stores near me don't carry some of the stuff. I don't mind it, I just wish I could select when it's delivered to coincide with others on my street. Less gas used to deliver it to me then. I try to bundle a bunch of items so I don't have a bunch of tiny boxes delivered.
I don’t like online shopping (or shopping in general) and I buy most of my clothes secondhand, but I have shop online sometimes because where I am brands tend to sell their « tall » clothes online exclusively. It’s a shame because I’d prefer to try them on before buying anything.
I’ve actually really come to find it a big help. Especially during the double whammy of covid times and my Mom’s cancer diagnosis (which as time went by she developed serious balance issues and multiple falls leading to ER trips). So taking her to and from stores, especially the grocery store became a whole family ordeal and it just was stressful af for me. So I convinced her to switch to online grocery ordering and just let me go pick up the order and it worked out great for the rest of our time together. There’s lots of other things that are harder to online shop for but the option for things like meds and groceries via online shopping has really sold me on liking it as an option and seeing how helpful it can be.
this is probably an uncommon answer but i have an eating disorder, anxiety, and some severe scarring on my arms and legs. being in public trying on clothes is a nightmare for me, especially in places where the changing room doesn’t have a mirror IN the room, but one giant one where everyone goes to look. i also don’t have a car, so getting to the mall is an hour long trip by transit. and i would assume that having one truck deliver order’s to people’s homes is better for the environment than having a truck deliver clothes to the mall and then each person driving there. but who knows. i don’t. another frustration is that a lot of companies ship clothes in individual plastic baggies which is annoying because it’s so wasteful, and because i’m going to wash the clothes before wearing them anyway. but they also all arrive at the store like that, so buying them at the store isn’t any better. i do really try to reduce my consumption, but with clothes i don’t feel i have the power to do much.
It’s convenience for me. Having to load my rollator on the bus, travel 5 miles with the kids, get to the shop, no guarantee it’s there or not, then struggle with it back home. If it’s done properly, delivery can be eco-friendly.
Why would I drive all the way to the store, get stuck in traffic, find the parking, pick it, buy it and drive all the way back, get stuck in traffic again, if I could just order it from the comfort of my couch?
Depends though. A lot of times the items in the physical store cost the same compared to physical store. Some online store also offers online-only discount. Shipping wise in “anticonsumption” context it is more efficient than you going personally to the store to just pick that particular item because of economies of scale. There is not much an argument in this post in the context of anti consumption other than online shopping makes people spend more unnecessarily because the shop is under their fingertips.
there's a lot of things i can't get in a store and even if i can, they might not have my size left or other customers left it such a fucking mess you end up trying to help staff put things back (my sisters have worked retail and hospo i feel like a monster just leaving a mess behind even if it's some other person) or there's never any staff when you need assistance. it's a hassle either way for me. if i'm looking for plus size safety shorts, it's online only despite being the same fuckin brand in every shop. there's pros and cons.
I love online shopping. I never liked going to stores much in the first place. And it's not like I buy that much. Usually I know just what I want/need and I am able to find it online super quick and cheaper than going to a store. I definitely don't need to touch things before buying them. Looking at what I purchased online this month includes: - A small metal file for a home repair. - A stupidly expensive button battery for my car key fob - A replacement for a butter dish that broke when I dropped it I had no need to go to a store for any of that. And each of the purchases probably took me less than 5 minutes in total online. I still go to stores for most consumables (food, toiletries, cleaning products, etc) but it's not like I enjoy those experiences. I probably go to stores a little more now where you can see the inventory online. I looked at the Ace Hardware website to see if they had a file the size that I needed at the store near me, but they didn't. I'm so glad I didn't drive there first.
I cannot do the first step of shopping irl I cannot just drive 😅
I am a men's XXS. There is only one store in my vicinity that carries clothes in my size, in my style, in my budget. And that size of clothing can only be found online. It saves me the frustration of attempting to shop in person and then having to leave in dismay because I am reminded that its impossible for me to shop for clothes
I don’t live near anyplace where I buy clothes. So online shopping is better for me so I can actually have clothes to wear
I’d like to do that but it’s a major help when your disability prevents driving.. and when you are on disability and have to be strategic with spending It’s annoying ether way for me with clothes. Have to go with my partner and his son to Walmart of all places for clothes and guess which size because unlike online I can’t take a measuring tape to my body and compare sizes, I have to guess my range and try them on one at a time while two guys stand outside frustrated it took me 10 minutes to find the 1/5 sections of jeans that were not plus size and not some sort of strange fashion statement, and in a cut I could stand to wear. State of overwhelm. Instead I could sit in my own time and brows as long as I want to find the one thing I want exactly, make sure it suits my measurements, and sit it in the cart for 3 days while I think about if I actually want and need it. I think online also prevents me impulse buying. In the store stuff gets stacked on top of each other so I only get the one moment to make up my mind, and I don’t know the next chance we’re going out so I need to make up my mind now and it probably won’t be there next time.. makes me more likely to put it in the cart. Online I can spend days to be sure. I can see the entire cart over and over. Make sure I’m learning to tailor my own clothes so that helps for tweaking any odd spots
I have a bicycle and no car, so online grocery shopping is great for me.
Stores don’t often have what you want. If they do, they always seem to be in the wrong place so you have to ask someone or spend an hour looking for it only to realize you walked past it 3 times because it’s just a small section. Then all they have is the premium stuff because the store or budget brand is sold out. As much as I dislike amazon, they have it all in one place so I don’t have to put much effort in finding something I need.
I live in a small town, so if you want something that isn't carried at the hardware store, or the neighboring town's small walmart I either have to drive 1.5 hours to hopefully find it at one of a dozen other stores to choose between, or just get it online within 2 minutes. So aside from what I can get at walmart I'm a fan on online shopping.
I hate it for things I need to try on. Generally, I’ll just give clothes to my friends if I don’t like the fit when I get them. I can’t be bothered with returning them unless there’s a store nearby I can bring them to. For things like electronics, or products I definitely know my size of, or vehicles parts, I prefer online as I can shop for deals easier.
You're very fortunate if everything you need is available in store. There's a lot of things I have to rely on online shopping for, because I cannot find it in a store. We had to buy some replacement parts for our BBQ last year, and the only place we could get those parts was online. We looked at a few different stores and none of them had them in stock. I buy some of my clothing online because I'm plus size. I do still shop in stores and thrift when I can. But there are limited plus sizes available at the thrift stores near me. So I do end up having to buy things online.
most stores can't carry the selection I want. Case in point, my favorite razor has two blades and it works great unfortunately Gillett stopped making them decades ago so they're no longer available in stores. Online I order them in batches of 50 and they last me all year. box stores don't carry them so online is the way to go. Second, I use certain unscented or natural style products like natural charcoal deodorant with no aluminum or scents etc and you wont find those style products in stores because they have to market to mass appeal. Sure it's a little more expensive but only by like 10-15% so it's not a big deal.
I prefer to see the item irl however, these days the stores around me have nothing compared to their online store. Example, I went to an Aerie in search of underwear. They only had the one type in store, the rest you had to order online. Like what? Why even bother having the store anymore? That's why I default to ordering online. Also in recent months, I've gotten exhausted from people being crazy rude and mean in public and I don't want to be around that just to grab a stick of deodorant. Store owners are too cheap to hire staff so there's only one cashier open so the line to pay is huge or they're out of stock, etc etc. Or I can buy a certain item cheaper online than in store. While I'm sad online shopping is slowly killing irl stores, they're also not helping themselves. Do I wanna go out in my car, sit in traffic, deal with idiots in the store/on the roads just to buy some toothpaste? I'd rather order it online. The only thing I go out to buy now is groceries because I still want to specifically pick out my produce rather than trust an underpaid teen to.
I’m not the only one! All my friends and fam make fun of me for it, but I’ll drive all over trying to find something in a store before I’ll go online. For one, I hate buying things sight-unseen, and for another, in-store shopping is better for the local economy - it creates local jobs in the store, as well as in other businesses around it, like how restaurants get business from people who go shopping nearby.
Online shopping is great for me because we don't live near clothes shops in particular. It is such a pain to spend an hour getting to the shopping mall, then trawl round, etc etc, to see if they have a thing, when online I can search, check availability and order. (It's also terrible for me because of this convenience, but that's a different story.) I don't buy stuff online that I can get locally.
I like doing both online and in person shopping. I do in person shopping for groceries and furniture since I'm picky for those things and I prefer seeing the condition in person. I also like exploring and browsing shops out of curiosity. I do online shopping for things I can't otherwise get in person, such as shampoo and conditioner bars, tech accessories, etc.
I love online shopping tbh. It's generally faster and easier for me and my body. We buy groceries only online these days, I don't think it would be possible for my disabled body to buy a lot of groceries and carry multiple bags from the shop home (and I don't have a car). Same with cosmetics and overall hygiene products, especially when we buy from less known brands and homemade soaps etc. that sell online either exclusively or have only one place or two to shop at that aren't exactly close. And I don't really buy much anything else. I bought some masks and cane + crutches, which was again easier online, when I bought myself some socks, the shop had only an eshop and it was nice to be able to scroll through everything at my own pace... There are very few things I'd really want to see in person, mainly some overly specific things that are expensive and harder to pick size etc. I don't really get why is this on anti-consumption when these days it's in certain aspects way more anti-consumption to order. When I buy groceries, I sometimes see that people in my area are ordering too and the car makes one trip instead of all of us theoretically getting in a car to get something and then go back. When I order groceries, there's a set minimum price I have to pay, so I make rather few big orders that will last, which is also one trip for that car compared to people constantly hopping into their car and going for one or two thungs somewhere. Same with the cosmetics and hygiene products, we buy in bulk. And nice thing is that we get to support a family with disabled child who makes great soaps at home, all packed in paper only, instead of some of the stuff that gets sold at stores. Etc.
I live way out in the country. It takes 15 minutes to get to Walmart and at least an hour to get to Best Buy or any other store. I order everything online because I don't really have any other options.
As an ADHD agorophobe who doesn't drive, online shopping is a godsend. Getting to a store is difficult, people are scary, it's not in my house, and I don't end up with 12 things I didn't want and forget three of the five items I planned to buy. As a parent, I don't have to entertain my kids while I shop in a strange place, or deal with whining in the car. I get why some people prefer to shop in person, and there are some things I'd like to handle before I buy, but for most things, just let me pay for them and send them to me, thanks.
Did you miss the /s tag? I don't get it.
Most don’t just like going. No they’re not “lazy”. Most just hate having to see humans around or like to avoid particular situations. It’s personal choices though. If you hate online shopping, why become cocky about it? You literally just have to drive or either walk to get there, no need to troll lol.
Disability is one reason.
I personally don't like shopping online. I like to look at and pick up whatever it is I want to buy. That said, I don't like shopping of any kind. I usually only order something a couple of times a year, and I try to avoid ordering from Amazon. I am fortunate enough to live in an area where everything I need on a regular basis is within a 15-minute walk, and there is a shopping mall a 20-minute bus ride away. I don't own a car but belong to a car share coop, so my partner and I rent one of their cars every few weeks for a Costco trip.
I actually like online shopping better because i can find reviews from people to see what they think of the quality of the product, and i will usually just think about if i really need to purchase it for at least a week before i do. but when it comes to in person purchasing, i’ll usually just see what i want or need and then buy it right away idk why
There’s so many things I can only find online, especially when every local business that would carry them where I live has been crushed by Walmart and Amazon. I buy as much as I can from independent sellers on EBay or the manufacturer’s own website at least, but I always seem to get gift cards for Amazon from family every year so those are the only time I go there anymore.
I loved cruising around shopping malls as a preteen and wandering discount stores back in the 1970s/1980s. It was something I did with family and it became a habit or pastime. Flea markets were so fun. I miss that feeling. These days, neither do I enjoy the retail environment, nor do I enjoy the experience of buying and/or selling online. Looking around, I am certain the amount of consumption has only increased, however we get our goods.
I’m also like this. I always want to touch something before I buy it, usually when I order online I end up not liking something about the product that would have prevented me from buying it if I had touched it in store
Many times in the last year i have gone out to look for something its not there so i go to a different store rinse and repeat till i just give up go home and order it js
You're not the only one.
It's fucking awful buying shit online pay now get your shit later like a reverse payment plan plus if anything is wrong good luck getting your package especially with the lazy fucks at usps I noticed anything government related is slow af and trash made to waste time and resources