As a Mom of 4, I have always valued the option of shopping online and truly believe I was taking advantage of Amazon well before it became the “new normal” (thanks, Covid). There are a few things that I especially enjoy about ordering online – let’s get into it…

IT’S CONVENIENT – I mean, Come. ON. It doesn’t get any easier. Do you have your phone? Done. You can be on the couch, in your car, or at a soccer game . If your brain reminds you that you need a lightbulb for the lamp in your bedroom, or a birthday gift for your Mother in Law, or a fun new shirt to wear on an upcoming date night – DONE. Anytime, anywhere – no shirt, no shoes – no problem. Pajamas, a glass of wine, and the dog on your lap – perfect! Amazon and Paypal have made it so easy that we don’t even have to stand up and search for our purse anymore – they already know our card numbers – is that a choir of angels singing ? When so much of life is silly and hard – it’s super nice to have something this simple.

THE OPTIONS ARE ENDLESS – Truly. If we have a need, big or small, we start with Amazon. The nice part is that their prices are usually lower as well due to their high volume of sales. Clothing, beauty supplies, protein coffee, door locks, and cat treats are just a few of our recent deliveries. Going on-line and searching for an item – especially if there is a certain size, color or other specification- is so much easier than driving from store to store and coming up empty handed. I can pretty much guarantee that if you need an item, you can find it on-line now a days.

IT’S FAST- I’m not going to lie – there have been a few times that things have been delivered so quickly that I had no idea what it was until I opened it. Prime has RUINED me for any other company at this point. Wait 5 days for delivery? Excuse me – unacceptable. Two days is IT at this point – heck – overnight is typical… we are SPOILED.

IT’S ENTERTAINING – Again, in all honesty, I will browse on-line shops with absolutely no intention of purchasing a thing. Even adding items to my cart and leaving them there never to return to claim them. I will look at things I will never buy – spend time reading reviews and looking at actual pictures of customers wearing things – knowing full well that I will NEVER buy this item or anything similar for that matter. Why do I do it then, you ask? It’s fun – I love window shopping and this is the opportunity to “shop” without any pressure or salesperson asking if I’m “Finding everything alright?”. I can get ideas for future events or holidays or decor items for the house if we happen to come into a great deal of money. Instead of watching a TV show, I’ll look up special occasion dresses. Instead of going to bed when I’m tired, I’ll compare prices on extra durable rafts for the lake. Good times.

So here is the question. Which do YOU prefer? On-line or in store? There is definitely something to be said for in store shopping – especially since some Targets now have Starbucks in them and the parents of my students are very generous with gift cards! I still like to try on clothes and smell perfume and hold a cup in my hand before I buy it. I am by no means exclusively an on – line shopper. OK- true story – I just had to stop typing to open the door for the Amazon delivery man – hysterical! For what it’s worth, the package was not for me, it was for my daughter who also loves retail therapy! Let me know which you prefer … on-line or in store – I’m curious! May the discounts be forever in your favor and the deals be plentiful!