« Toy Story 3 | Home | Decorate Your Holiday »
Shop Your Desires
By sandi | November 11, 2010
I know the temptation of shopping online. It frees up your spare time and you can do it from your laptop while cuddled up on your couch but take a moment and think about what you are doing. Is this what you really want? Businesses are closing daily because a bad economy and, I think also, because we have become so much of online shoppers. Why would a store need to carry everything when we aren’t going out shopping for it?
So often I hear people complaining about how nothing is available anymore and the only place you can get some stuff is online. It is true, this is the case for a lot of items, at least where I live. We are constantly telling retailers that we don’t need/want to come shopping for those things we will just have them delivered to our front doors. Is this really what we want?
We can find better bargains online in most cases. Why is this? Because we have driven retailers to be more competitive with other retailers online. It isn’t often that you see a better price at one retailer or another in person. They know that you are destination oriented and that whatever store you land at you will purchase the items you want and have the rest brought to your home from online sources.
The reason I am writing this post is because I don’t want to see local retailers fade away. I don’t want to only be able to shop at Walmart or Target. I want to have places to go that I can stroll through and touch and feel my purchases before I buy them. I want to have clothes in stores where I can try them on and see if they fit my unique body type, rather than fussing with mailing back returns when things don’t fit right.
I also want to make sure that I am supporting small businesses. I see so many of these things fading and it makes me sad. I personally support small businesses whenever I can. To me it represents one of the trademarks of the American Spirit.
This holiday season I will be shopping local, buying handmade and making sure that I still have stores around to stroll through. This is my pledge to myself and to my children. What will you be doing?
*On a side note we are also not paying local and state taxes when we buy online. Yes, in one hand this is a savings but in another it isn’t helping you have nicer roads to drive on. Wherever it is you might be going, since eventually you won’t be going shopping to stroll around.
Topics: Mom's Soap Box | 7 Comments »
November 11th, 2010 at 9:12 am
I agree, I have shopped online a lot in the past but this year almost all of the shopping I have done has been in store. I hate to admit that I am actually excited for Black Friday just for the experience of shopping with my girls and watching them choose items. I guess you can say I am a reformed online shopper…at least for Christmas. I did order new Klean Kanteens online but that’s because I can’t find them anywhere here. One counterpoint though is that people are REALLY hurting for money right now and so finding the best deal is the only way they can do Christmas shopping. Some can’t afford the gas to get to stores (at least out here where we live 30 minutes from stores other than Grocery.)
November 11th, 2010 at 9:37 am
While that is true Lisa those people are not the people with the buying power to shape commerce. I am certainly not looking down on people who shop this way. I just want to shop with my desires and beliefs at the forefront. So many people passively live and don’t think about the long term effects.
November 11th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
Very TRUE! My husband is boycotting Wal-Mart at the moment, not that they will even notice, but I LOVE the small stores where they know and love you as a customer AND I mostly buy my clothes in the stores, where I can try them on, too! Let’s support those small businesses when we can – nice post.
November 11th, 2010 at 12:25 pm
And Wal-Mart just upped the ante for Christmas. There’s a reason why local businesses are losing out to the physical and virtual megaretailers: they can’t compete. I think you’re fighting a losing battle, but I understand your point.
November 11th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
No plans to go to WalMart this year. I really don’t like going there. I can’t promise not to go to Target though. I do love Target! Sandi, I do agree with you. And I am certainly having more fun shopping this year than I did the years I shopped online.
November 11th, 2010 at 12:38 pm
I wish there were more small stores to choose from. Offhand I can’t think of any smaller stores anywhere near here. Everything is a big corporation. It is sad that there are no more small bookstores or toy stores around. All the ones I used to know and love are gone. Only proving your point.
April 18th, 2011 at 12:41 pm
[...] started planning her party and found that the only place to buy unicorn party supplies was online. I know this is becoming more the norm, but it pains me greatly that I cannot just run out and get t… So, Madeline and I sat on the couch and pulled up sites on the laptop to order the unicorn party [...]