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Is there any reason to go to the store anymore?

A

applefan289

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Aug 20, 2010
1,705
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USA
With most items available to purchase online, is there any reason to go to the store?

I find online shopping to be the most efficient for many reasons: you can usually find the best price, you don't have to go to the store, and the selection is much wider online.

Amazon seems to be the king at this sort of thing. I bought a few Blu-rays the other day, and it beats all retail stores around me as far as selection and price.
 
applefan289 said:
With most items available to purchase online, is there any reason to go to the store?

I find online shopping to be the most efficient for many reasons: you can usually find the best price, you don't have to go to the store, and the selection is much wider online.

Amazon seems to be the king at this sort of thing. I bought a few Blu-rays the other day, and it beats all retail stores around me as far as selection and price.
Click to expand...

To meet chicks.
 
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I try to buy things at the store, if they're close to the on-line price, because it's easier to return things that way if there's a problem.

And what that post says.
VVVVVVVVVVV
 
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leftywamumonkey said:
To try on clothes?
To compare displays?
To look at how large or small an item is?
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I mean secondary items.

Not toilet paper and clothes.

But Blu-rays, video games, etc. Anything that counts as "luxury" or "secondary".

Of course, I wouldn't buy a refrigerator or TV online. But the smaller items I would try to buy online.

For example, an iPad.
 
applefan289 said:
I mean secondary items.

Not toilet paper and clothes.

But Blu-rays, video games, etc. Anything that counts as "luxury" or "secondary".

Of course, I wouldn't buy a refrigerator or TV online. But the smaller items I would try to buy online.

For example, an iPad.
Click to expand...

Why not the big items? Aren't they the hardest to carry? You're gonna get them shipped to you anyway, right?
 
I loathe ordering online. What does it really save me if the store's price is near the same ?

- Have to wait on delivery
- Shipping costs if not free override any savings
- Shippers always show up during the day when I'm not there
- I have to go out and go to the shipping company to pick up my item anyhow.

Plus if there's a problem, I have to pay return shipping on my item.

Screw that, I'm going to the store.
 
KnightWRX said:
I loathe ordering online. What does it really save me if the store's price is near the same ?

- Have to wait on delivery
- Shipping costs if not free override any savings
- Shippers always show up during the day when I'm not there
- I have to go out and go to the shipping company to pick up my item anyhow.

Plus if there's a problem, I have to pay return shipping on my item.

Screw that, I'm going to the store.
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If you have a P.O. box, then it's probably not worth frequently shopping online.

The only real letdown on ordering small secondary items online is the wait. I hate waiting for the package.
 
applefan289 said:
If you have a P.O. box, then it's probably not worth frequently shopping online.
Click to expand...

"We do not ship to P.O. boxes" or "Signature Required".

Sorry, I've been an Amazon and online shopper for over a decade, I was there in the first days of transactional websites. To me, there's too many downsides, I only order online if there's a lot of money to be saved or if I just can't find an item locally.

Otherwise, I buy in a store.
 
I do a mix of online and in store buying. The determining factor is savings vs hassle and wait time. Obviously if the item cannot be found locally I buy online such as Taylor of Old Bond St. shaving cream or a Gemesis cultured diamond.

Mac'nCheese said:
Why not the big items? Aren't they the hardest to carry? You're gonna get them shipped to you anyway, right?
Click to expand...

I'd take it home myself. Unless it is so big I cannot get it into my truck. In which case having it shipped from a local store is a lot cheaper than some store hundreds or thousands of miles away.

The big downside of ordering larger items online is if there is a problem with it a lot of stores will require you to pay return shipping. The only time I'll make these orders is when the savings are quite significant. Such as buying refurbished appliances like my Kitchenaid Pro series mixer for less than half the in store price.

An item like my big screen TV I bought at Best Buy. The savings online was too small to matter much. However, the hassle and cost of having to return it if it had any dead pixels would have been too great a risk.
 
I really prefer buying online and never going into a store. That way I do not have to deal with nasty, dumb store employees. THE only store I like going to is "Dairy Barn". It's a drive thru with really friendly employees. Fast and efficiant.
 
Items I generally only buy at B&M stores:

Clothes: Can't try clothes on online. Unless you know the brand & how the sizes run, online ordering is tricky.

Food: Perishable items for sure. Milk, eggs, cheese, veggies, etc. I do order my workout protein powder from Amazon and I have dabbled in Safeway ordering.

Large appliances/household items: In the past year, I've ordered a new TV, a new bed and new washer/drier. I suppose you could order these online though I'm not comfortable with it.

Just about everything else, I will order online when possible. I don't have a lot of free time during the week so my time is valuable. Being able to order items online and having it arrive at my door is very convenient. Keeping jobs and B&M stores open...not to sound too crude, but no my problem. My main concern is keeping as much of my hard earned money in my pocket. More free cash means discretionary spending which helps the economy anyways.
 
sikkinixx said:
help keep jobs
Click to expand...

People also work for Amazon.

And don't use a washing machine. People work at the laundromat.

And make sure you eat out, people work at restaurants. Or should you buy food to prepare at home to support jobs at the supermarket?
 
I start to wonder how some specialized retailers stay in business. For example, there are three mattress stores within a block of each other where I live, and I live in a pretty small town. They're all fairly large stores in an expensive area for real estate. I can see a store like Costco thriving. It's a big warehouse where you can buy mattresses but 40,000 other items as well.

And then there are stores like Dick's Sporting Goods, which are absolutely huge. I went into one because I needed sandals for a vacation and didn't have time to order online. It was a huge, beautiful store (about half the size of a Costco), and I think I was one of the only shoppers there, with at least 15 people working whom I could see (I'm sure there were more). How do places like that stay in business?

I can see a place like Costco doing well (and it's a store I use). I can see grocery stores doing well because there isn't a widespread online alternative to them. But for me, online shopping is preferable. I use Amazon a lot and have a Prime membership. If I ever bought a mattress it would be online or from Costco. How can three mattress stores stay in business in the same block? How can Dick's Sporting Goods stay in business? To me walking into that store is like walking into a localized Amazon warehouse, except that it's more specialized, has more overhead, and a far smaller audience that it reaches.

I'm not someone who likes shopping in person, though. I don't even like Apple Stores. They're too crowded and noisy and bright and cramped. I had a panic attack in one once. I really can't imagine why I would ever go to one except for a repair (which is why I went the one time I did). Now, if there were one close by and I could go on off-peak hours, I could see going. But traveling over an hour to a shoebox store that's filled with people who look like they're trying to pick someone up and it being so noisy the genius can't even hear you is not pleasant. I buy Apple products from either apple.com or amazon.com depending on where I get the better price.

The one retailer I wish I had and would use: Whole Foods.
 
I shop online a lot. I think it's great, and usually has much better prices. Recently got my new sofa online! Theres little risk if you stick to reputable sites, as UK law gives you a 7 day no-questions-asked return period on all items purchased at a distance (eg phone/online). All the large supermarkets here do home delivery, and have done for years. Loads of people I know do it. I couldn't go back to doing a weekly/fortnightly food shop in store, now I just pick up any 'specialties' from a deli or farmers market . Long live the internet!
 
Some people like to hold the item in their hands before buying, often it's nothing like the picture online made it look. Especially clothing, different companies seem to have different ideas about sizing.
 
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