6 Reasons You Should Shop Online Instead of In Person This Black Friday
Written by
Jordan Rosenfeld
Edited by
Molly Sullivan
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As the holiday shopping season rolls in like a tsunami wave, it can feel overwhelming to prioritize how you’re going to get everything done and also handle the responsibilities of your life.
If the idea of driving to a mall or shopping center sounds exhausting to you, you’ve already got the first in a number of reasons why you should consider shopping online rather than in person.
Here are six other reasons to shop online rather than hitting the brick and mortars.
Avoid the Crowds
By the time Black Friday arrives, shoppers get serious and many don’t stop all the way up through the New Year. You can often expect increased traffic, more frazzled customer service people, cranky and competitive fellow shoppers and a lot of time and energy spent moving from store to store. Shopping online means you can do it from the comfort and peace of your home or office, at your leisure and convenience.
Reduced Sales Pressure
Another benefit of online shopping is that there’s no high pressure sales tactics, no salesperson in your face to make you feel like you’re missing out on a particular deal. By shopping online, though there are still tricks retailers use to entice you, you can skirt the in-person agony.
You Save on Gas
Though gas prices have come down in some places, many people are still playing catch up after the past few years of inflation. Any opportunity to reduce how much you pay at the pump is one that saves you money over time. Give the environment and your wallet a break by shopping online.
Time To Think About Your PurchasesÂ
One of the biggest benefits of shopping online is the ability to put something in your virtual cart and then think about whether you really want or need it. In store, while you can still sometimes put an item on hold, that requires you to physically come back after you’ve given it time, and it may have a shorter time limit than a virtual cart. Sometimes, retailers will even motivate you to buy an item in your cart by discounting it.
Time To Research and Read Reviews
Another benefit of shopping online over in person is that at the same time that you sit down to shop, you can also take some time to read reviews, research product information and compare prices in an instant. While some apps make it possible to do this in person, you still have to schlep yourself from store to store.
More Variety With Less Effort
Perhaps the biggest benefit of all is that with online shopping you literally have the world at your fingertips — you can shop for multiple kinds of items, across different retailers and for different people without having to lift more than your fingers. In-person shopping limits you to whatever mall or shopping area you’ve selected.
While there are some drawbacks to shopping online, such as not being able to touch and see merchandise, the possibility of damaged or delayed goods, and shipping costs, in many cases the benefits outweigh the risks.
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