What's the big deal...?

I’ve just finished ordering some books on-line. For every purchase I placed into the “cart,” there was a message in bold, red letters on how much money I had saved for each purchase. For the convenience, shopping this way is pretty cool, but I’m more than a little peeved about their bragging on how much they save us shoppers. It’s really nothing, just a few dollars here and there. And what really gets my goat is that in the end, when you figure in shipping and handling, you actually lose those precious savings, and wind up paying more. I set my s&h preferences for the cheapest kind and I still wound up losing my so-called savings plus a few more dollars. What if I needed these books and CD’s tomorrow?

For the convenience, I appreciate this kind of shopping and I understand that the s&h doesn’t go to the book seller, but there is something sort of a void when you are led to believe that you are saving big and then get the same bill you would at the store. 20% savings is bull-shit. They should take it down to 50% or pay for the shipping and handling or, at least, just shut up and let us do our shopping without their bold declarations that they are saving us money, when in fact they aren’t.

You’re not paying sales tax unless the site is operated in your home state. Depending on the size of the order, sales tax could be more or less than the shipping charges. It all comes out even in the end, I guess.


I am the user formerly known as puffington.

I always wondered – when ya start pushin’ them electronic ‘Shopping Carts’ around, is it only me that always gets the one with the wobbly wheel?

Dr. Watson
“Ya gets what ya pays for, and then some.”

Not only that, but I usually blow whatever savings I’ve made on the candy and gum by the checkout counter.

I know what you mean: I always get the slow checker (calling for a price check on everything), and there’s usually someone with twenty-three items in the “1-Click Only” line.

Man, I hate that.


…but when you get blue, and you’ve lost all your dreams, there’s nothing like a campfire and a can of beans!

What bugs me are the people who wait until they get to the checkout counter and then get out their checkbook. . .
– Sylence


If a bird doesn’t sing, I’ll wait until it sings.

  • Tokugawa Ieyasu

At least you guys can get parking. It always seems like my mouse is, like, a million miles away from the monitor. And don’t even get me started about those hooligans hanging around the modem smoking cigarettes.


Change Your Password, Please and don’t use HTML, as it has been disabled

My question is if you are ordering from Maryland, can you take your shopping cart to your car?

See http://boards.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum5/HTML/000667.html

Well, what I hate is when they mop up the aisles and leave a big puddle. If you slip and fall in an on-line store, can you sue them? Plus, there’s the risk of electrocution from pushing your electronic shopping cart through it. Downright hazardous. There oughta be a law.


An infinite number of rednecks in an infinite number of pickup trucks shooting an infinite number of shotguns at an infinite number of road signs will eventually produce all the world’s great works of literature in Braille.

And the bathrooms in those on-line stores! Geez, don’t they ever clean those things.

Oh, wait, that’s my bathroom.

Nevermind.


The overwhelming majority of people have more than the average (mean) number of legs. – E. Grebenik