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March 13, 2004

Reasons Why I Shop In Stores

Out of fairness, in response to my last post about shopping online, here's a list of reasons why I shop in stores. Again in no particular order.

1. I don't have to rely on some clerk's data entry skills
   Products have names, but those names are not always what they are called. Take "Rooster Sauce": its real name is Sriracha. Shopping for it online, I find it referred to as "Sriracha," "Sriracha (Rooster) sauce," and "Huy Fong Sriracha Garlic Hot Sauce" -- and that's just at the first three listings on a Google search. Let's ignore all the misspellings; just determining how the name is entered is a feat.
2. I can touch the item I am shopping for
   Touch can tell you a lot of things: quality, texture, weight. It's really valuable to be able to touch and hold things like tools or electronic gadgets before you commit to buying them.

   ...and play with the user interface
   An online review can only take you so far. Online simulators tend to show a product at its best. What you want to know is, what happens when I press this button? The best way to learn that is by playing with the item in person. Nothing online has been able to replace that experience.

   ...and try it on
   I actually do buy clothing online, but not nice things. Sizes are not regular enough to make that possible. Even with virtual dressing rooms, the clothing buying experience online is mostly for the few of us who are standard sizes and average height.

   ...and sniff it
   I don't like to buy shampoo without knowing what it will smell like. Most versions of lavender scent are too sweet for my tastes. Smell is critical for some items, so if I haven't already bought something in a store, I'm sure not going to take a risk buying it online.

   ...and read the packaging
   If I'm buying a device, I want to be able to read all the packaging. Sometimes, there's a vital piece of information that's just not listed on a web page about it.

   ...and see the real colour
   What kind of red is poppy red? I have three shirts, all listed as poppy red in a catalog, and all slightly different shades. When colour names get weirder ("acid"), it's probably not worth buying it online.

3. I don't have to know exactly what I'm looking for
   If I'm trying to buy somebody a gift, it's often more helpful for me to go to a store and browse around until something catches my eye. I probably didn't leave the house thinking, "I want to get Jenny a giant ceramic bear," but if I see a giant ceramic bear, the first thing that pops into my head will probably be, "That's perfect!" Those moments are different online.

   ...and I can look for similar items without knowing what they are
   In a store, I don't need to know that the matching creamer for the giant ceramic bear (which turns out to be a teapot) is a creamer. All I need to do is see it nearby, and add it to my basket.

4. I can bring a friend along for a second opinion
   It's hard to shop online with another person. I know this well because Noel and I buy flowers for Mother's Day online, and it's not a terribly fun experience. One person "driving" the mouse, the other person trying to point to things, two people huddled over a keyboard. Not the best shopping experience. But going out shopping for clothes with my homies is loads of fun, even if it is exhausting.
5. I can have it NOW
   A MAJOR plus to store shopping is that I don't need to wait for it to get packaged up and shipped. This weekend I bought some soda online. I'd love to be kicking back and drinking some now, but I won't get it until next week. If I'd bought it in the store, I could have started drinking it as soon as I walked out the door.
6. I can see other products I might have forgotten I need to restock
   I'm pretty bad at making shopping lists, but that's OK when I go to the store, because I'll inevitably walk by the other things I need to get and think, "Oh, yeah, we're out of pickles, too."

   ...and I can see unrelated items that may be on sale
   I don't ever put sardines on my grocery list. But if they're on sale, I buy them. Shopping online, you never get reminded to check that sort of thing -- if you're not shopping for sardines, you don't see the price of sardines.

7. I can pay with cash
   It doesn't sound like much of a benefit, but we have a shared credit card. At Christmas and birthdays, I either shop with cash in a store or just tell Noel not to look at the credit card bill until after the event. Because nothing ruins a surprise like seeing "Sheet Music Superstore" on the credit card statement.
8. It gets me out of the house/studio
   While it's great that I can shop without leaving my desk, it is also a good thing for me to get off my butt and move once in a while. Shopping gives me a reason to get up and out of the house.

Posted by ayse on 03/13/04 at 5:43 PM