Many happy returns
Ordering online has become way too easy! With a few clicks of my fingertips, tons of items can be delivered to my front door very, very quickly. It sometimes feels like magic. See an item, click on it, and before you know it, it is on the way.While it is super convenient to shop this way, I find that I can be a little too quick on the draw. I don’t always take the time to analyze facts such as need, price, etc. That results in returns!!
Lately. it seems as if I am returning more than I keep. That is okay when the business has a local presence but not if it takes shipping the item back. The advantage of ordering from a store in our community is (you guessed it) returns can go back to the store to skip the hassle of mailing or shipping.
Sometimes I am not even looking or shopping online when an item will just pop up. It looks like something I can’t live without. It can be a keeper or a dud--a recent example was a cute black portrait neckline top. I thought it was a sweater knit but it ended up being woven and more like a blouse. Sorry to say it wasn’t a keeper even though the price was great. The woven fabric was a disappointment. Luckily, it went back to a store that has a physical presence in the area. It was a bargain but not at all what I wanted.
I do like to go to the actual stores and browse to see what I like. But I have found I can order if they don’t have my size. This results in free shipping since the store did not have what I needed.
Recently I had purchased sandals for a granddaughter. Somehow, we bought the wrong size. When we went to the store and they didn’t have what we needed, they gladly ordered it and had it sent to the house with no shipping cost. Makes life much easier.
I have to be careful though with the timing. Often we are headed out of town when a package is on its way. I sometimes even forget I ordered an item when it will suddenly appear on the front porch. I am trying to do better, but it usually works out especially with the help of my neighbors and cleaning lady who will stop by.
I do like to go to the actual stores and browse to see what I like. But I have found I can order if they don’t have my size. This results in free shipping since the store did not have what I needed.
Recently I had purchased sandals for a granddaughter. Somehow, we bought the wrong size. When we went to the store and they didn’t have what we needed, they gladly ordered it and had it sent to the house with no shipping cost. Makes life much easier.
I have to be careful though with the timing. Often we are headed out of town when a package is on its way. I sometimes even forget I ordered an item when it will suddenly appear on the front porch. I am trying to do better, but it usually works out especially with the help of my neighbors and cleaning lady who will stop by.
Another avenue of shopping has been an online auction site that offers amazing bargains around the clock. The app is on my cell phone, and I can take part in the auction at any time. I do pace myself so I won’t be in over my head. There are many items I am not interested in, but often the jewelry is enticing. The site will ask you to review the item, and if you are not satisfied, then they refund the money and tell you to keep it or they provide return shipping and packaging.
I have always loved shopping but now it is at a new level. If someone in the family has a birthday, I can look for the item I want to send or one that has been requested and have it shipped to his or her home in a matter of days.
I have always loved shopping but now it is at a new level. If someone in the family has a birthday, I can look for the item I want to send or one that has been requested and have it shipped to his or her home in a matter of days.
I remember the days when the Sear and Roebuck catalog would come out, and the excitement was overwhelming. In the Sears Archives, the 1943 Sears News Graphic wrote that the catalog “serves as a mirror of our times, recording for future historians today’s desires, habits, customs, and mode of living.” This is certainly true. Kits to build houses were even sold through the catalog.
My mother was not a fan of ordering. She preferred going to the local department store and buying what was available. I talked her into ordering one year and it was a disappointment. The dress didn’t look at all like the photo in the huge catalog. Also, it was time-consuming to order and write a check (no credit cards at that time), and it took forever or so it seemed. Plus, returns were painful and also were as slow as a snail’s pace.
My mother was not a fan of ordering. She preferred going to the local department store and buying what was available. I talked her into ordering one year and it was a disappointment. The dress didn’t look at all like the photo in the huge catalog. Also, it was time-consuming to order and write a check (no credit cards at that time), and it took forever or so it seemed. Plus, returns were painful and also were as slow as a snail’s pace.
The wish book was the Christmas catalog where toys were displayed in enticing photos and made us all dream for every one of them. Of course, we got nowhere near the amount we wanted.
Later on, stores such as Sears and JC Penney offered catalog counters in the stores to order and pick up. Now there are no catalogs or counters for orders. I guess this online ordering has replaced all those practices.
Not sure where all of this will end. We have seen the evolution of catalog to online shopping. There probably won’t be any catalogs in a few years. It is exciting to think of what will be next. Drone deliveries seem to be on the horizon!
But no matter what happens, the consumer will always get that certain thrill when a package arrives on the doorstep whether he or she remembers what was ordered!!
Later on, stores such as Sears and JC Penney offered catalog counters in the stores to order and pick up. Now there are no catalogs or counters for orders. I guess this online ordering has replaced all those practices.
Not sure where all of this will end. We have seen the evolution of catalog to online shopping. There probably won’t be any catalogs in a few years. It is exciting to think of what will be next. Drone deliveries seem to be on the horizon!
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