# Do you shop online **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 5, 2017, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shop-online/798038 "2017-10-05T17:09:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2017, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shop-online/798038/21 "2017-10-05T22:35:07Z")
I don’t shop online for food, as I like to go to the supermarket and see if they have any new or interesting food I’ve never tried before. But if I wanted, I could order food online through the Wal-Mart app, go to the store, notify them I’m in the parking lot through the app, and they’ll bring the groceries right to my car. I wouldn’t even have to go inside the store. And I’ll order electronics items and have them shipped to the store within two days for free. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2017, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shop-online/798038/22 "2017-10-06T14:18:53Z")
I do probably 90% of my Christmas and other gift shopping on Amazon (Prime member). I don’t have to wander through numerous stores looking for something that I won’t find anyway. I don’t have to get in a freezing cold car or fight holiday shopping crowds. I buy groceries and personal need things (shampoo, aspirin, TP, etc) from an actual store. I’m 56. ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2017, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shop-online/798038/23 "2017-10-06T14:58:55Z")
I think the only actual stores I go to are the dollar store and grocery. I used to do the thrift stores but found Thread UP and Swap .com and they let me sort by sizes, colors etc and are more reliable than the thrift store. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2017, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shop-online/798038/24 "2017-10-06T15:12:31Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > I was somewhat surprised to see in this thread: > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=831480](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=831480) > That the OP has only purchased one thing online. > > 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 62 and I purchase a lot of my needs online. How do you get anything tax free with Prime? Do you live in a sales tax free state? Amazon slaps the sales tax on everything I buy, even if it’s from one of their associates vendors from a state with no sales tax. ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2017, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shop-online/798038/25 "2017-10-06T15:29:22Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > 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. Purolator is unable to deliver to a community mailbox. Only Canada Post can deliver to them. ---
**Author:** ![JHBoom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/13edae/32.png) [@JHBoom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JHBoom)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2017, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shop-online/798038/26 "2017-10-06T16:51:50Z")
Yep, a lot. 43. There are times I like going out to a store and shopping for something, then ordering it online once I confirm I like the item/sizing is good/etc. * * * > [@racer72](#): > > How do you get anything tax free with Prime? Do you live in a sales tax free state? Amazon slaps the sales tax on everything I buy, even if it’s from one of their associates vendors from a state with no sales tax. I can tell when my Amazon items are coming from the fulfillment center in my state, because I get charged sales tax on those items, but not others. I’m fairly certain that different states have different laws re: sales tax on online purchases. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2017, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shop-online/798038/27 "2017-10-06T17:08:16Z")
Hardly at all, & when I do it’s pretty much only either for fun stuff (ie. totally useless adult (as in not-kid, _not_ talking about sex toys) or camera stuff. There been years where a Prime membership would be more than the cost of the items I bought from Amazon. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2017, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shop-online/798038/28 "2017-10-06T19:20:44Z")
I buy 100% of grocery store stuff via B&M locally. Which includes the nonedibles like toiletries, paper products, etc. Not all of which come from a no-kidding grocery store. I’ve slowly been moving more and more of my mall or Target type purchases online to Amazon and others. But that’s probably barely $40/mo on average. I don’t buy much stuff I can’t eat. I don’t have Amazon Prime; it’s just as easy and significantly cheaper to wait until I have $50 or whatever of items saved up and qualify for free shipping that way. It’s also amazing how many things sit on my wish list for months because I don’t actually need or want them; they just looked \*Oooh Shiny! \*for a moment a few months ago. I bet I save far more than the cost of a Prime membership that way. OTOH, it happens I bought a bunch of clothes from [kohls.com](http://kohls.com) a couple weeks ago. And after they were delivered a week later I returned half of them to the local B&M Kohl’s because the size was wrong even though the numbers were right. I’m not sure I saved any time with this exercise. I certainly didn’t save any frustration. Should’ve gone to the store to verify what fit first. OTOOH, they rarely stock anything in my size anyhow, so I often can’t even try stuff on when I do go there. I did find my recent car purchase online. But I drove to the B&M dealership to close the deal & pick it up. Bottom line: I’m no online buying virgin. But it’d be a only a very minor change to my life if online shopping disappeared completely tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2017, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shop-online/798038/29 "2017-10-06T19:26:55Z")
I buy groceries in person, plus, I always shop for clothes in person except the odd band tee. I buy tickets/booking online if possible for pretty much everything (concerts, movies, air travel, museums, hotels, meal reservations, etc.) For physical, non-perishable stuff, I shop around stores to see if they have it in stock and only if they don’t do I order online, with the exception of online only stuff and occasional other exceptions when it’s a really great deal and I don’t mind the wait. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2017, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shop-online/798038/30 "2017-10-06T20:31:39Z")
The only things I buy regularly in person are groceries. Even toiletries I get from amazon now. For clothes, I find a couple of items that work and buy many of them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shop-online/798038.md?page=1)