The holidays are approaching fast! Only about six weeks until Christmas, and with it the shopping frenzy and crazy stress to have the perfect day. In order to reduce my Christmas stress, I use two strategies: plan ahead and shop online.
You won’t find me fighting thousands of people on the High Street, queuing for hours, going around the block waiting for a parking space or paying for expensive parking. Most of my gifts I will have before the end of November. And they will be delivered to my doorstep.
We talked before about how much simple life has been since I have started grocery shopping online. The small £5 fee is well worth the convenience of having your grocery list remembered and being able to get everything you need to feed yourself for a week or more in just a few clicks.
For everything else I need to buy, my in-store shopping is pretty limited too. Sometimes I will pass by a store and see a great offer, and if it is something I need, I will stop and buy it. I won’t go online and try to find a better deal because the item is right there, and my time is more valuable than the few cents I could save. I would also have that kind of impulse buy if something can turn into a great gift for a loved one. For example beauty stores often have little gift baskets with nice soaps and perfumes. The typical kind of packaging that might arrive all messed up in the mail, or take you hours to do yourself. So I buy a couple, and then if I get invited to a last minute Christmas celebration, I always have something nice to bring to my host. Aside from that, and browsing around thrift stores for bargains once in a while, I’ll do all the rest of my shopping online. Also, shopping online especially when it comes to big purchases
like an engagement ring allows you to browse a wide selection and is likely to bring you
some serious savings as compared to visiting a physical store.
I love how easy it is to compare products from different stores, and how my house is way more peaceful to shop from than a crowded, noisy, busy store.
How about you? I have attached below an infographic from SwiftMoney that shows how 1,000 people do online and offline shopping around the country. The results are pretty interesting. For example, 54% of interviewees still prefer in-store shopping. I know for some it is even a hobby, retail therapy and all, but for that I have to admit I am at the opposite end of the spectrum, and I would imagine most of the Savvy Scot readers as well. Sure, some items are easier to buy on the High Street, but the time you save and the fact that online shopping generally prevents you from impulse buying is enough to keep me at home.
Are you more into e-tail or retail? What would you never get online?
