Walking the Wire

i have to say although i bought a few things off of ebay, i still love the brick and mortar stores, so that is where i do most of my shopping. i like to see what i am buying and try it on and not just look at a photo of it.

I also buy products online because as you say its a lot cheaper to buy items online than it is in the shops. I dont think the shops can do a lot about it because they are dearer due to tax. Maybe if the government lowered taxes shops can also lower their prices but the government wont do that.

Some things may be cheaper online, but when you add shipping costs, there really isn't any savings. At least not in my experience. Then there's the waiting for it to be delivered.

Realistically, I should be a prime candidate for "on-line' shopping! I live on a very small Island..very limited shopping, two small corner grocers, one hardware store and a Thrift Store, that about sums it up....BUT, I am a bit more "tactile" and can't seem to break that habit! The time and the price of the Ferry fare to get to a "metropolis" for shopping is quite prohibitive...AND I absolutely "abhor" shopping! Shopping, Iguess is not a word one can use for me..as I have a list, know what I want and power thru...so hate the crowds clogging up the aisle's..chitty-chatting and hindering my progress! I just need to learn to trust.."on-line" sites with my personal data, and I am sure that I would enjoy, much more, browsing and carousing, in the comforts of my home!

The thing with the High Street is (especially the well-known stores such as M&S, NEXT, etc) it's all a bit 'samey' and they haven't adapted like the internet versions of their shops, ironically. If I can't find something in the shops I tend to go online and buy on there instead. I don't feel guilty about it as I'm usually in the same stores as the ones on the High Street anyway as I don't trust the sizes on the more obscure sites. That said, one thing that annoys me more than anything (and it's happening wherever we buy food) are those self-service tills springing up everywhere. I actually make a point of not using them, convenient or not. In fact, I see more people queuing up to use those than I do at the more conventional tills. The saddest sight was seeing a line of them in the M&S food section instead of a line of people serving customers. That sort of thing is far more threatening to job security (in my view) than internet shopping.

I wish i could shop online cause i really do love it you know getting what you want in what you like doing. I don't shopping online is going to be a problem to a local shops not when the internet has been the place for a real bussiness,some local shop will have a website in which you can also buy whatever things you want from them online. So i don't it's going to be a problem. I don't know how i can get started for shopping online any help guyz??

Ducks head, I have done all my Christmas Holiday shopping on line except for one person and that is for the adopted child I adopted and that is because they needed the gifts sooner. You shouldn't feel bad about it think of all the leg work you didn't have to do..all the waiting in lines or going up and down the aisles searching for something out of stock. I care about their jobs but it also comes down to taking care of your family and getting what you can for the lowest price so you can live and have the things you need.

I used to be concerned, but now I look at it this way: If I find the same item for half of my budget, that means that I'll be able to use that money in other ways. I try to find smaller companies or individuals to support when possible, instead of shopping big box stores. We need to start supporting small businesses instead of big CEOs!

We adapt. I would imagine you've also created other jobs: your order needed to be fulfilled by someone. And UPS drivers are needed. Just sayin'. It also creates revenue for small businesses who can thrive online and might not be able to afford a brick and mortar place. I love shopping online.

Times change. Nothing stays the same. One of the biggest costs in retail overheads today is employees. It's not just their wages but the tax, health (insurance like workers compensation etc)superannuation and so on. Employees just do not do enough work to pay their own wages in most cases so retail prices go up...add rent and all the other overheads and you have a huge amount. Online stores don't have these problems so they can therefore sell things cheaper. If people want to keep their jobs they are going to have to work harder for less money and I cannot see that happening. I don't know where it will all end up but I'm spending my money to get the best deal for me, not to keep someone employed. Besides, there is too much profit going to the CEOs of big corporations and the shareholders - it's not going to employees per se. I do what I have to to save a dollar or two and to keep my money in this country. Let the employees look after themselves as best they can like I had to when I was working in retail. Economics is really complicated these days and I can't figure the whole thing out any more.

I do mine mostly online too, not even so much because of the $savings as because of the time. But I do try to support local businesses too.

I usually don't buy anything online, but if I can save money by purchasing items online then I will. I was thinking about going to the mall, because my 13 year old wants shirts from Hollister. The mall is 60 miles away, so it would cost $20 just to drive over there and back. If I order her shirts online, I won't be paying that much for shipping and handling, save mileage on my van, and I won't be wasting gas. There are very few stores that I would like to visit, so it's better for me if I order online.

Hi friend, good to know that you bought things using online. I too buy some thing using online sites, but i am not a frequent online shopper. In this modern trend most of us are interested in online shopping, since we can save our time and money. However lot of people are interested in regular shopping too and continue their activities, so don't worry about the sales persons and normal shop owners

Este recesiune, tot mai multi oameni isi pierd locurile de munca, mai ales ca piata on-line se dezvolta rapid, felicitari !

I tend to do a mixture. If I know what I want and/or if it's cheaper/easier to get online then that's how I will do it. There are other times when I just happen to see something in a shop which someone might like. There are some things I like to make sure I can see before buying them. Sometimes things can look really good on a website but then turn out not to be so good. I hadn't really thought much about people losing jobs. It is sad when some shops close but, in my opinion, if they are good shops run by people who know what they're doing, they wouldn't be so quick to close. I don't mean that about all shops but I have seen buildings which have gone through 3 or 4 transformations within a year or two and I wonder if that has more to do with a lack of planning or patience than with online competition. There are still loads of people who go shopping in real shops. I think perhaps if the whole real shopping experience wasn't so unpleasant, I would prefer to do that. There is also the matter of cost, as you mentioned. Why would someone go out in the freezing cold to be pushed past by crowds in order to buy something which is a third of the price online and can be purchased from the comfort of your own home? Also, I find that I spend more in real shops. It takes up so much more time, you have to plan things and take things into account like if you need to stop for lunch, how long it's going to take to get there and back. At least online, you see exactly what you're spending (and, of course, there is no petrol money or bus/train fare to consider). So I don't know whether we should care about people losing jobs because of shopping online. I mean, would the people losing those jobs care if others lost theirs as a result of their changing habits?

Always one for a bargain and yes if I can find something much cheaper online I will buy it. All year round I do shop locally but the town in the UK has no shops that sell Christmas gifts at all, many are charity shops and for a present I will always buy new, although one of my online purchase I will collect from a shop in my town but they didn't have the item in stock there so ordered online to be purchased from there. Initially the out of town superstores affected the towns but online shopping has increased and has affected so much more. I cannot stand crowded shops so will avoid at holidays periods but other times I will walk round town to the butchers, bakers, green grocers etc and before you say it not the candlestick makers lol. Huggles Ellie :)

I did the majority of my shopping online this year. I now live 1400 km away from my family and i found it much quicker and easier (esp when i wasnt sure id be able to go home for christmas) to order online and have it delivered. I felt that i wasnt costing someone their job but providing someone with another business as well as the postal and purolator/ups services jobs as well. It saved me money time and frustration i enjoyed shopping alot more online than i do in person.

hi dear P1ke, I simply dont have much of a choice when it comes to buying gifts. With all the work and long commute I get home when the shops are closed already so what choice do I have apart from buying my stuff online, not only for Christmas but presents in general. I find it very convenient to shop online and I also shop much of my stuff online like my favorite brand of shoes and jeans.

This year too I shop online for my Christmas shopping. It is more convenient for me because I can choose well. In mall, I have my three year old son and I can't really window shop because he walks around and I'm worried that he will be lost so I decided to shop online. :-) I don't think some people will lose their jobs because there are still many people shop in malls. :-) Have a Blessed Christmas to come!

I'll online shop for certain things but never really clothes or shoes since I like to be able to try those on in the store and think it's a hassle having to return things ordered online when they don't fit. Honestly with things I do buy online I really don't feel that guilty. It tends to be so much cheaper sometimes and saves gas by not having to drive to a store (I guess here you could also argue that therefore you're saving the environment! woo!!). Unfortunately I just really don't have the money to pay more than I need to for things even if it is bad for some shops.