subject: Forget The Mall. Save Money, Time And Sanity By Shopping Online [print this page] In our society when we venture outside of our home we must be clothed in something. This may seem superfluous in warm weather but it is a necessary evil. Even more evil is that we have to buy those clothes. Clothes don't fall from the heavens. They exist in stores. Stores exist in shopping malls way across town. Shopping plus malls plus stores equal torture. I would rather be anywhere and doing anything else than shopping in a clothes store in a shopping mall. Shopping depletes wallets and souls.
They did before the advent of the internet and the ability to shop for clothes and everything else online. Some people swear by trying on clothes before buying. This is nonsense except when purchasing an expensive tailored suit or coat. How often do we really buy something like that? You don't need to try on tee shirts, pants and shoes that you wear everyday. You know your size, buy that size.
Online stores come with size charts so you know the measurements of each brand's goods. This is great for every online shopper particularly when the sizing is for European made or Asian clothing. Their sizes may have little to do with United State's idea of sizes.
If you play your cards right while shopping online, you can save a few bucks too. There are outlet stores of the big department stores online, auction sites and discount websites filled with name-brand apparel. The old adage "you get what you pay for" is just as true online as anywhere else. If you see a Prada bag for $10.00 it isn't a Prada bag. Get real. If you care that what you purchase is new, unused and never worn before, look for a listing that states "new with tags" on auction sites. Otherwise, you cannot count on it being "new."
Clothes aren't the only great item to shop for on the net. Anything you can buy in a shopping mall you can find online as well. This includes items like sporting goods, toiletries, DVD's, books, magazine subscriptions, even furniture and electronics. An easy way to locate what you want online is to type into the window of your search engine the item you are looking for followed by the words "online shop."
Last month I was looking for a new tennis racket customized to my exact specifications. I googled "tennis racket online shop" and got numerous results from websites featuring tennis rackets and equipment. I immediately placed my order on the site of my choice and received my tennis racket delivered to my door less than a week later. It was perfect.
I can't tell you that I experience real joy shopping online. But I can do it while watching Monday night football if I wait for the half time festivities. I'm almost unaware that I bought new jockey shorts and socks while enjoying the game. When the weekend comes around instead of fighting the traffic, hunting for a parking space and being annoyed by crowds while shopping at the mall for underwear, I will be doing something else that will not in the least torment me.
