Buying in stores: something of the past

People will still buy in stores, but now they are more like showrooms. There are lots of stores that don't carry stock, but will order it online for you to pick up at the store. It saves them from having excess stock and also storage costs in the store.

Most people will check online before they go to a store, I do, but stores are good for clearance items, matching outfits and checking sizes. Not all people have debit cards and can't shop online so they will and have to shop in the stores.

 

That is true. Buying in stores aren't completely dying out but they are losing some appeal. I don't think they would ever die out unless we find out some way to instantly transport items to us and a lot of people like the in store browsing experience anyway.

 

I think it all depends on what kind of stores you visit. Personally, I don't like shopping at malls at all. I prefer small shops that offer more individual products. I rarely buy clothes online, as they are really cheap and plentiful where I live at the moment. Actually, it would be a lot of trouble for me to order them online and definitely cost more than me just walking downtown and buying everything I need there. I think it also matters a lot where you live when it comes to making a decision about shopping locally or online.

 

No. There are a lot of reasons why I still buy in stores. For clothes, I need to try them on. I have bought clothes online but only from stores and brands that I already know my size in. As a plus size it's very risky buying online because each brand has their own sizing and the sizing charts are general, not the measurements of the specific garment. Second is shipping charges. For a lot of items it doesn't make sense to pay shipping when you can buy the same thing in stores. And with clothes it's very risky because if you have to return it then you have to pay double shipping. Third is urgency. If I need something know I don't want to wait a few days or a week for it to arrive, and 1 day shipping can be more expensive than the item itself.

Other small reasons are clearance sales and exclusive store sales, and items that might be discontinued online but you can still find them in stores. A few weeks ago I got a jacket on Forever21 that's not available on their website.

 

Sometimes, I still enjoy buying in physical stores because I can be sure of the fit. There are cases when the things I buy online do not fit me right especially if I followed the size guide already. I enjoy online shopping a lot though. They have more deals than actual stores!

 

I don't think it will ever fully go away. A lot of the things we buy still would be best for many people if we could see it upfront or even try it out. Though I agree that eventually there will be less and less of a need for it and it can possibly become a novelty, in my opinion. Still, maybe there will always be room for both. As long as people still have to go out of their house there will always be someone who wants to sell them something along the way.

 

I've shifted more to shopping online as well in recent years. There is simply a much better selection online than there is in a store. The only time I will check out stores is when they are selling a bunch of items on clearance - I will pick through what they got to see if there is anything I really want. I used to do most of my shopping for stuff like clothes at an outlet store for Dillards, because their deals were way too good to pass up, but they recently closed that down, so I've resorted to eBay instead. Although it costs a bit more due to having to pay for shipping, I'm still getting much better deals than buying the stuff at a store at full price or on sale.

I often have a hard time finding my size in shirts and pants, so I often have to just settle for what they got at the stores. However, online I can often find the exact color or print I want in my size.

When it comes to other things like kitchen appliances, camera equipment or other electronics, Amazon has a much greater selection of brands and models than I could find at any store - not to mention they tend to carry the latest models, before the brick and mortar stores even get them. I like having a greater selection, because chances are I will find a really specific niche product that fits my needs perfectly.

For example, I have been looking around at electric percolators and our local stores generally only carry the standard 8 cup Farberware. When I looked on Amazon, I discovered Farberware actually makes it in several sizes, including a cool mini 4 cup model - which was just what I was looking for.

 

Online shopping still has a long way to go because it takes time for one to get the items/products they buy. Those people who want something they have to use that [same] day, will dash over to the nearest store grab whatever they want and use it.

Until that day when whatever you buy online can be delivered within hours of placing the order, people who aren't patient enough to wait for what they buy to be shipped [a process which can take a week at times] will get most of their stuff from brick and mortar stores.

 

I still really enjoy buying things in stores, but that's just because I can try things on and make sure they fit. From time to time if I'm absolutely positive something will fit my body shape, I will buy online because the selection is much bigger and you can find exactly what you're looking for without a problem, compared to walking around stores for a few hours to all day looking for one or two items to come out empty handed, that's happened to me more than once.

 

This exactly what Internet wants you to feel. This is the future and it sounds scary. Believe it or not we are the future, it has begun, eventually we'll stop going out for mundane tasks such as shopping. Last week I tried buying groceries online( can u believe it?!) and I am going to do it more often and why not I dont have stand in check out lines and waste my time in aisles looking for stuff I don't want. Things are changing, changing for the good but at a price we are not sure will to pay.