Thank God for online shopping – the saviour of my sanity. As your non-average, typical sort of woman, I’ve never been keen on shopping. The older I get the more I loathe the idea of traipsing round endless shops. And that’s not just because I’m getting older, it’s because shops have gotten bigger, as has the volume of products, the price and the deals on offer. It can be a bewildering experience. Add into the mix all the sales chat and patter and you soon start to see why the idea of it fills me with dread.
So when my washing machine packed up and the engineer who came round to fix it said it had had its day and I needed a new one, I had a smile on my face at the prospect where once there would only have been dread.
Having recently got wired up to broadband Internet at home, and having dabbled in a little online shopping already, I knew I could sit in the comfort of my own living-room, in my own time, without hassle, noise or interruption and make a considered, researched and best value choice of a new washing machine. And I did.
Despite all those many and valuable benefits to shopping online rather than joining the masses trawling the shops, there’s an even better benefit. The best bit about shopping online for a new washing machine was the access to real choice. You don’t need to be an expert to quickly realise that most shops sell basically the same products at basically the same prices. Online the world is your oyster.
I sourced the globe for a new or reconditioned washing machine, was able to research manufacturers and the online retailers, read genuine customer feedback and actually learn useful information about the product I intended to buy and the purpose I intended to buy it for.
Basically, being a single woman who does no more than 4 loads of washing a week, consisting of relatively everyday materials, I didn’t need an all singing, all dancing machine that a family would. Sounds obvious, but out in ‘shop’ land you’re being sold a relatively standard product: a one size fits all.
Because online shopping for a washing machine enabled me to access the global marketplace it also afforded me access to a much broader and more niche marketplace. Information, choice, variety, value and guaranteed quality await any online shopper prepared to take the time to find what they are looking for.
That’s the rub. You have to be prepared to put the effort in. But, in reality, it’s effortless: certainly by comparison. A few hours spread out over a day or two, carefully and quietly researching and choosing the most efficient, effective and best value product for your needs over the Internet. Or going to one shopping centre after another and trailing round one huge shop after another as part of a throng in search of a bargain in the hope of finding what you need?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment