I’m pretty sure some people wonder why I shop a lot online. I can’t seem to go through a month without receiving packages in the mail from what I ordered online. At any stage in life, people will worry about what you spend your money on no matter what it is. When you have money left over after paying for your needs, you want to spend some on entertainment. So why do I spend so much money shopping online? Well I’ve come up with 5 reasons why that is:
1. I’m too lazy to go to the store
I try to avoid doing this; however, it can still happen sometimes. I might see something I want online, even if there is a nearby store that has it in stock for sure. But I’m not always in the mood to haul myself to where I can buy it no matter how close by the store is. Maybe it’s because of the time I realized I wanted it, or I’m too impatient to get it. (which is ridiculous because I still have to wait regardless)
For example, I’ve bought a few lipsticks from Sephora’s website even though they have a store in the nearest mall. I clearly shouldn’t have done that because I didn’t like those colours as much as I thought I did once I tried them on. I should have just gone to the store, swatched them on to see what they really looked like and then made a choice. Cosmetics can look misleading when you look at them online whether it’s the bottle, swatches, or other girls wearing them.
Then another time I really wanted to read The Hunchback of Notre Dame (by that I mean Victor Hugo’s novel), the nearest bookstore was a 30-minute walk away and I wasn’t up for that, so instead I was just like “screw it let’s just buy it on Amazon.” I placed the order on a Friday and the book literally arrived the following Monday.
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| My computer knows what I want! |
I’ve told myself that this is a habit I have to break. But the other reason why the desperation causes me to just buy it online, is because I don’t always have time to walk or take the bus to where I might find the product. Sometimes on my days off during the semester, if I don’t have a lot of work to do, I go shopping even if it means just looking around. I can’t do this every week because you know, it takes away a whole hour out of potential study time when I have more tasks that week. So, try not to do this like me! I haven’t forgotten or regretted the time I bought my Jul ‘Mdama figure on Amazon even though I saw him in EB games weeks later. Or the time I bought my Garrus Vakarian Funko from the BioWare store but then found it at EB games weeks after I received it. But I still wish I just went to the nearest store where they could be found instead.
2. It’s hard to find the nearest store that sells these things
It all depends on what your interests are. As a nerd and a metalhead there are lots of things I want for entertainment that you cannot simply find at a store. For something in my interests, it really depends on the popularity or if it’s an exclusive somewhere.
For instance, if I’m buying band merchandise (and I’m talking other than just albums), it’s easy to get my hands on shirts of bands like KISS. But if I wanted something more specific like Sabaton, Lordi, or Powerwolf then I would have to buy from the band’s official site or their record label. I could also just wait until the band comes to the GTA and buy merchandise at the concert, but it all depends on the demand, so often at times I cannot simply just wait around for a concert to buy their stuff. If I’m a fan, I want a shirt, maybe a patch and something else; then I’m willing to buy it online if I have to.
It’s not just with heavy metal, as a nerd I find this a common situation as well where I have to buy it online because it can’t be found in the nearest store that might possibly carry that stuff. What were the chances of me finding my Didact action figure in Toys R Us? Probably really low.
3. You’re guaranteed to have it no matter what
This is very true if the item is a limited time offer. Companies will pressure you to buy it from the store or the store’s website and tell you how many are available to go around. For example Lordi released Scarchives Volume 1. a few years ago. That was a limited edition that contained their unreleased album before Get Heavy came out and it was only available on one merchandise website. I had to have it as I always wanted to hear what they first came up with. I still listen to it from time to time and the tracks need a little love and time to grow on you but they will, trust me.
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| Actually this has worked for me a few times and still does |
Or it doesn’t have to be a limited-edition item, I could end up buying it online just to secure it for myself if the demand is high. I waited months for Sabaton’s signature wristbands to come back in stock on their website. I had no idea why they were out of stock for so long, probably because they were popular with fans, who knows? Then one day, I was hanging in the halls waiting to go inside for my one and only class that day and as soon as a fellow fan messaged me saying they were back in stock, instead of rushing to the nearest free computer, I navigated the website on my phone and purchased one for myself. I felt like I had to do it immediately before they ran out of stock again…. even if I knew for sure that they wouldn’t. As soon as something becomes available to you after you’ve waited for a while, you’re gonna feel the need to want to buy it stat once it is because you don’t want to risk waiting even, longer right? Also who doesn’t do this for concert tickets? Pretty much everyone buys concert tickets online these days stat to secure them!
4. It’s your own creation
Nothing is more satisfying than designing something on a software and then being able to have that creation in your hands.
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| Yes that’s how it feels |
Whether you’re 3D printing your own jewelry or drawing designs and having a professional jeweler make it for you, wouldn’t you want to have the creation for yourself before you consider making more to sell to others? I don’t think anyone has said no to that question!
Like why else would I create my own rings, including replicas of the rings Judge Claude Frollo has? To have them in my own hands of course! Mind you, if I had my own 3D printer I wouldn’t have to pay Shapeways to have them print it for me and ship it, but still….if you’re planning to create something online you should have your own copy for yourself before you consider selling it to others right?
5. The excitement of its arrival
Nothing is more exhilarating than getting a package in the mail. It feels like Christmas knowing that when you go to the mailbox and there it is with your name on it. The hardest part is waiting however: You get all pumped when you place the order and even more once you get an email saying it’s been shipped.
For me, it’s even harder to wait when they provide you with a tracking number. When I pre-ordered The Last Stand, it arrived a week after its release. Those 6 days felt like the longest ever, and it can be even more panicking for anyone when you don’t see tracking updates for at least 3 days. You might be worried that your package got lost in transit, or customs is holding it a little longer; and let’s be honest, customs are hell.
But through all that waiting, once it finally arrives, it’s like Santa gave you an extra gift for being such a good boy or girl. It makes you want to dance, rush inside and open it immediately.
When I bought my Didact figure on eBay as an early Christmas present to myself, I can’t forget the day it arrived. I took the package out of the mailbox, ran inside to open it and there he was looking back at his third incarnation: Me. I hugged him against me before opening his box to put him on display.
If you haven’t felt this way whenever you receive a package in the mail from an online purchase of something you wanted, something is definitely wrong with you. We’ve all felt this way at some point.
And those are the 5 reasons why I shop online, seems really hard to control, but the world is changing. More people are doing it, but at the same time we recognize that we can get out of control. Do I think I’m addicted? Yes and no, because I’m trying to overcome buying online from places that I can easily go to like Sephora, but other than that my reasons seem normal like if there’s no other option.
Do you shop online a lot?
👽 Emily
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I like shopping online too. I prefer the ringing of my doorbell and the package being left at my door.
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That's also pretty convenient so you don't have to walk to the PO Box. The disadvantage to that is if they require your signature and you're not there it puts the burden one someone else's shoulders who is. I'm expecting a package today which is supposed to be an early early Christmas present to myself (I do this every year) and if they leave it at the door that would be great as long as they don't need my signature!
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I am also a fan of “online shopping shoes“
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