But it started me wondering, maybe it’s not that common. I buy everything I can online. I have prime so it’s usually overnight (sometimes same day!), tax free and cheaper than I could get it in a B&M store. Plus it saves gas. Honestly I’m surprised everyone doesn’t do a lot of their shopping that way.
So who here shops online and how much? Include your age if you are so inclined, maybe it’s a generational thing.
I’m 59. I buy far more things online (mostly through Amazon Prime) than I do in brick/mortar stores. I’d estimate that out of my last 100 purchases (excluding gasoline and food) 98 were made via Amazon.
Other than perishables, like food or big items like a washer, refrigerator or car, almost all my shopping is done on line.
I hate, hate, hate walking around a large brick and mortar store spending my valuable time to find something close to what I want. And often not finding what I really want at all.
I can just sit here drinking a beer and find exactly what I want on line.
From a vendors point of view I’ve found that building my online pet supply business is going better by taking a subset of my shop to physical market locations and pet events. So the brick and mortar and online can have a nice symbiosis.
I did run to the grocery store yesterday but 3 out my last four grocery shopping experience have been online and besides that, the last thing I bought in person was a birthday present for my kid as Toy’r’us and even then we had them price match Amazon and that was a month ago. I have no need to go to a store unless I have to have something right now and even then I can get stuff from Amazon same day for a lot of small things.
Mixed. I personally like shopping most of the time. The wife hates it. So our shopping ratio is close to 50:50.
Online is the only way to shop for weirder stuff, of course. The current example is Heinz Caramelized Onion & Bacon Ketchup. Wonderful stuff that I am totally addicted to, and of course the local groceries stopped carrying it. But Amazon can get it to me in less than 18 hours, so we’re all good.
OP here. Of course we have internet. The main issue here in Canada is that most mail is delivered not to your door, but to a community mailbox.
Since composing that OP I have bought two shirts, at the same time from the same place. They were delivered by Purolator, a courier service mostly owned by Canada post. They were delivered to a Home Hardware store close to my house, with a note stuck to my door. I had to pick the package up at the hardware store.
It’s not as convenient in most places in Canada, as it appears to be in the US. And anyway, I like looking at things typically before I buy them. As it turns out the shirts that were delivered yesterday (medium fit) are probably a little smaller than I’d like. I’m not sending them back, but if I had been in the store I probably would have gone for large. (I’m 5’8" and 155 lbs. How in the hell is that not medium?)
I don’t see how that’s an issue. Anything too big to fit in my individual mail compartment is placed in a larger parcel locker with the key to it placed in my box.
57 here. Other than groceries and some small items locally, almost all of our online shopping is Amazon.
What I really like is having reviews (as stupid as some are) to evaluate the product.
48, I buy almost everything online, that includes grocery and alcohol delivery. I’m lucky that I live in a building with a 24 hour doorman, who can sign for packages and allow delivery people into the building after confirming with me.
I’ve really only had bad luck with shoes, but I live across the street from a UPS store, so I can return them easily. I just wish shoe companies would keep one style around for more than 3 months.
Yup. Why they did do that yesterday is a mystery. And, of course, some items are too big to fit in the parcel locker. Meh. It’s no big deal, but it is less convenient. Well, for me anyway.
While I am in the US, I don’t get mail delivery either. Not even a community mailbox. And for YEARS UPS, FedX would not deliver to a PO Box (not sure if that’s still true). And delivery to our house used to be very dicey. Must have 4x4 six months out of the year.
Anyway, I got a UPS box in town. It’s great. Costs a few hundred a year, but they email me whenever a package comes in and I just swing by and pick it up.
I’m 31, so a millennial (albeit an older one) and I do 95% of my shopping in person and at the store.
To be totally honest I rarely buy things for myself in general, but when I do I much prefer to go out and get it myself then shop online. I think it’s a combination of not knowing if it will actually work and being too lazy to ship it back. The only thing I can think of that I buy more often than not are video games, and I always buy them used from Gamestop.
Rarely do I buy clothing. If I do buy clothes, I’m very specific on how they fit me, so I go out to buy them so I can try them on. The last article of clothing I bought online was a pair of shorts, and I have a belt on there that I’ll get whenever I have money.
I think a lot of it boils down to the fact that I like to go out and buy something. I don’t know if I feel more accomplished, or it’s an excuse to go out or what it is. But if I need, say, an additional HDMI cord for something in the apartment, I would much rather head over to Wal Mart and pick it up in store than buy it online. I don’t see my preferences changing any time soon.
Virtually everything! I know what sizes fit from my fave stores (LL Bean, Talbots, Lauren, Bass shoes) and I do clothes refills online. Our dog food comes from Chewy now; last week I got brake caliper covers, stick-on googly eyes, socks, spark plugs, and CDs from Amazon.
We also GrubHub a lot.
Basically my dream is to never leave my house (outside of work).
I’m a cheapskate, so I tend to shop at a few different places for cost mitigation.
My mainstay for online shopping is eBay since it’s usually a bit cheaper than Amazon, and there is quite a bit of free fast shipping. But I can usually wait, so it isn’t an issue either way. I don’t know of anywhere else that’ll sell a USB bluetooth adapter for less than a dollar (with free shipping!).
Food and clothes I still buy brick and mortar. Food 'cause it’s cheaper, and clothes because buying big and tall clothes online is a recipe for disaster.
Mixed. Grocery shopping and most clothes shopping I do in stores. I still love my trips to Lowe’s too, whether small project stuff or larger items. Owning and doing a lot of restoration work on a historic home means I do shop online for specialty items. Of course we also use Amazon a lot, just ordered new water filter for our fridge today. I think every area rug in our home (6 of them) was ordered online via Overstock.com. I cannot ever see a day when we do 100% of our shopping in stores or online exclusively.
For clothes, yes because I absolutely hate malls and clothes shopping in general. As far as food, I don’t shop online for most of it, but I do for many snacks and paper products. Any other items, if I can, I will because as I said, I don’t enjoy malls or the whole shopping experience although supermarkets don’t bother me.
I HATE shopping, so online shopping is a godsend.