# Do You Regularly Shop Online?



## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

Meaning do you buy things online at least once a week, whatever that might be? Just curious.


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## Levanda (Feb 3, 2014)

No I don't, my husband is addicted Ebay I hate it so much. His even now on Ebay looking for junk to get something electronics crap. What are waste of time and money.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Depends on what I need, I like shopping but when I see a bargain I will buy it .


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

+Levanda I don't like Ebay either  About ten years ago, I sold some "electronics crap" on it, though :lol:

+OP Sure, I shop online. That's where I get most of my CDs. I also order tea from China. I order vitamins from the USA (the dollar has plummeted in the past year, so the US$ might no longer make that attractive for me  ). I recently ordered a shelf from Ikea (the web site indicated the item was not in stock in the store, but I should have gone to check, because it was! Bummer, but it was worth the wait, but I didn't like spending the extra $16 for shipping). I ordered some clothing online, but I only did because the store had a promotion going that made it cheaper than picking the items up in the store. In general, I don't like buying clothes online, because they need to look just right, so there is a high rate of returns, which is a hassle, when shopping through the mail.

But weekly!? The CDs come close, I suppose.

I should add that I prefer to get my things right away and I don't like to pay extra for shipping, so online shopping is not the most attractive option for me, unless there is no other way to get what I want: I hate the wait and I want the best price. This limits the kind of things I will purchase online. What I would like is to be able to shop and pay online and then drive over to the store a few minutes later and have my things packed and waiting for me.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

It's a case of having no choice with some items - in my town you can't buy a pair of jeans for love nor money yet there are about 10 places where poseurs can get their chests waxed.

I'm actually thinking of ordering my weekly groceries online as a visit to the supermarket is usually such a dispiriting experience thanks to the plain stupidity of half of the clientele.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

I'd rather pay more and try on clothing in a store; same with shoes.

The only items I shop for online are CDs and DVDs; perhaps a coffeemaker and some fresh coffee beans, shipped overnight.


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## Cheyenne (Aug 6, 2012)

Most CDs I order through our local classical store, though I could usually get them cheaper online. I know the store manager often buys rare CDs from retailers that still have a few in stock and then resells them to me -- I've seen his account on the website! The vast majority of my books I do buy online; they are hard to find offline, and far cheaper in certain online outlets. There also quite a few rare clothing items that I need to buy online: I have my tastes in certain things..


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

CDs, books, hotel res., restaurant res., gifts.


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

I voted yes, even though it's not really close to once a week. CDs and books mostly, plus a number of things that are more like once a year: contact lenses, double-edge blades, spices.


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

For me, there is also the issue of trust.

I feel confident buying online from a store that is 'bricks-and-mortar'-based, or a store, such as Amazon (and the sellers that piggyback on the Amazon site), that has established itself as a reputable online presence. What about unfamiliar online merchants? How do I know who they are? Anyone can set up a website.

I always do a search online to learn about such a company: to identify who is behind the web presence, what others are saying about the site, how much traffic it receives, whether it is listed as a scam or phishing risk, etc. I want to know who I am dealing with and who receives my credit or payment information. As an added security, I only ever use credit, never debit, to make payment, as Visa/MasterCard insure and protect their cardholders. You have the right to contest transactions, have charges to your account reversed, etc.


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## Posie (Aug 18, 2013)

I just bought some massage cups. I doubt that I'd ever find those in a U.S. store.


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## Levanda (Feb 3, 2014)

Me I don't do almost shopping at all, apart food, clothes well most I get from charity shops and my daughter in law she is very posh so what she don't like it I got from her and I don't mind about that. Some people feel uncomfortable about that but I am not. I got my principles don't shop that much is not good for environment and other problems in the world. Be honest I look posh enough if I need it.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Most of what I buy these days is from the Internet. But I don't buy much, and certainly place an order less than once a week. So not sure how to answer...


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

A strong yes from me. I buy all my cds online, smoking pipes, shoe laces, shampoos and much more. What's not to like about it. You don't have to go any further than your mailbox. Besides, a lot of products are hard to get these days in real stores. The right shoe laces are a bitch to find in the real world; online, I have dozens of choices.


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

^ What do you use those shoe laces for?  I think in my entire life, my shoes wore out before the laces did, except for one single time.


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## samurai (Apr 22, 2011)

ArtMusic said:


> Meaning do you buy things online at least once a week, whatever that might be? Just curious.


Yes, indeed, primarily from Amazon, of which I am a Prime Member.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

brotagonist said:


> ^ What do you use those shoe laces for?  I think in my entire life, my shoes wore out before the laces did, except for one single time.


For me, the shoes usually last way longer than the laces. I take very good care of my shoes and like the laces tied very tight.
My wife's just the opposite; she prefers a loose fit. I also like jazzy-looking laces; they're hard to locate on the street. I use the website "ShoeLacesExpress"; the variety is amazing and the service excellent.

I likely sound as if I'm obsessed with laces. Well, if they break and you don't have another pair on hand, the shoe becomes useless. After decades of not getting with the program, I now buy 4 pairs at a time. If you need a pair, I'm your man; just tell me the length, shape and color.


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## Cheyenne (Aug 6, 2012)

A true shoe-lace connoisseur!


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

Looks like many shop to buy regular things as long as there is a good bargain, including music!


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## Varick (Apr 30, 2014)

I don't know about "once a week" but I buy CD's, DVD's, Cigars, Wine, Scotch, Clothes (Not Shoes though - I need to try those on), Tools, Electronics, Household items, things that I used to buy in stores all the time, but then suddenly, for some reason you can't find them anymore, and many more things. Some weeks I buy nothing, then other weeks I'll buy things from 10 different web-sites/company's. Definitely would average out to more than once a week though.

I LOVE the internet for buying things I need and want.

V


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## senza sordino (Oct 20, 2013)

Completely change my post.

I do my grocery shopping online, and it's delivered once a week. I stand in front of my fridge with my iPad and shop for food. 

I don't do much else shopping online though.


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## mirepoix (Feb 1, 2014)

Not every week, no. Because we're both self-employed we can be much more flexible when it comes to finding time to shop for groceries locally. And we enjoy doing that sort of thing together anyway. 
There's stuff we do buy online though. Once a month I order whey protein and once about every four to six weeks I buy camera film. Madam buys a number of _lotions and potions_ every month via different websites.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Things we can get locally (we live in the centre of a medium-sized town, 50000 inh), we buy in the shops. The internet is for other stuff.


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## shangoyal (Sep 22, 2013)

I think the last thing I bought online was Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. So no.


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## Levanda (Feb 3, 2014)

Do we consider the future how can go wrong societies, nobody in the streets, shopping online, no communications with people, sitting on the sofas searching online. Soon will would no how to speak with each other. Seriously I am afraid on that kind of future.


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## Figleaf (Jun 10, 2014)

Levanda said:


> Do we consider the future how can go wrong societies, nobody in the streets, shopping online, no communications with people, sitting on the sofas searching online. Soon will would no how to speak with each other. Seriously I am afraid on that kind of future.


I live in a dormitory town which is already like you describe, and has been since the late 80s probably. Before that I lived in Oxford, England, at the time (late 90s) when nearly all of the interesting independent book shops and music shops were closing in rapid succession and being replaced by chain bars and restaurants. Harry Mount wrote a good article (might have been in the Spectator, I'm sure they must have published a good article at least once) about the disappearance of the old bohemian Oxford, including stuff that was before my time,and he was only a handful of years ahead of me. So, while I mostly agree with what you say, my experience doesn't really bear out the theory of the internet supplanting the high street: in the two places I've lived the longest, shops mostly stopped selling useful or desirable things well before online shopping was a threat.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Levanda said:


> Do we consider the future how can go wrong societies, nobody in the streets, shopping online, no communications with people, sitting on the sofas searching online. Soon will would no how to speak with each other. Seriously I am afraid on that kind of future.


I share your concern, but money talks. Also, most folks love to communicate; they won't stop when they leave their home. Then again, maybe they won't leave at all.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

samurai said:


> Yes, indeed, primarily from Amazon, of which I am a Prime Member.


Wow! Let's hope you never have to issue the Prime Directive.


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## Levanda (Feb 3, 2014)

Bulldog said:


> I share your concern, but money talks. Also, most folks love to communicate; they won't stop when they leave their home. Then again, maybe they won't leave at all.


Yes modern world money talks, I don't like like that. Humanity will be bashed, walking with earplugs. No interaction which each other. So scrap money.


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## Figleaf (Jun 10, 2014)

Levanda said:


> So scrap money.


'Go back to Russia!' :lol:

No, not really- I agree with you. Most Brits don't have enough cultural perspective to even question whether there might be a better way of doing things. (Russell Brand doesn't count.) :tiphat:


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Flights, hotels, and some music, maybe a total of 10-15 times a year.

Grocery shopping & -delivery via the web is advancing here, but I can´t really imagine using that option in the future.

I do some selling of CDs and LPs via eBay too.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Levanda said:


> Yes modern world money talks, I don't like like that.


Money talks indeed and always has. Heck, go back to the the age of faith, Bach's time and before. What was the biggest and richest transnational entity in the Western world? Hint: It was (and is) headquartered in a well-known southern European peninsula.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

KenOC said:


> Money talks indeed and always has. Heck, go back to the the age of faith, Bach's time and before. What was the biggest and richest transnational entity in the Western world? Hint: It was (and is) headquartered in a well-known southern European peninsula.


The Medici family was a great, great patron of the arts. all because they had money (and taste).


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Money will always represent true power on this planet. That's the way it was. That's the way it is and that's the way it will be.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

Another item that I have started to shop online is plane tickets.


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

Levanda said:


> Yes modern world money talks, I don't like like that. Humanity will be bashed, walking with earplugs. *No interaction which each other.* So scrap money.


Does what we're doing here, on this forum, count as interaction?

Personally, I don't think the fact that I can order airline tickets online rather than visit a travel broker is something to regret. I lose the pointless interaction with the clerk, but have more free time, which I can spend interacting with people in ways I prefer.


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

I've found less interaction aka face-to-face most helpful in today's world of people wound way too tight. And to enhance my defensive vehicle driving, I'm considering buying an old Brink's truck.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

GreenMamba said:


> Does what we're doing here, on this forum, count as interaction?


Well, it's cyberspace interaction which isn't the same thing as face-to-face. I'll count it as one-half interaction.


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## Krummhorn (Feb 18, 2007)

I routinely do lots of arm chair shopping - saves time, energy, and usually saves money in the long run. For our nearly three week long 2010 vacation to the UK and Denmark, all arrangements for airlines, lodging and car rentals was done completely online. 

I have a online standing 'subscription' for Good Seasons salad dressing packets ... a particular flavor (Herb & Garlic) is just not available in any store in my region of Arizona. 

I do other online comparison shopping as well ... easier to do than running all over town in the heat and dealing with crowds.


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

It's hard to believe now that snail mail was the most important communication for a long long time. For most, phonecalls or telegrams were only used as a last resort, being too expensive to use on a regular basis.

Up until the early '90's for overseas arrangements, I'd send a letter requesting something, and by the time I received the reply, ten days had passed. It was the norm to plan and confirm trips months in advance.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

I don't even have a cell phone. But I understand that a lot of people prowl the aisles of stores looking for things they need and snap pictures of the UPC codes. The phones instantly return the best buys for those items on the Internet, usually available without sales tax and often with free shipping.

Store owners do not love this practice.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

KenOC said:


> I don't even have a cell phone. But I understand that a lot of people prowl the aisles of stores looking for things they need and snap pictures of the UPC codes. The phones instantly return the best buys for those items on the Internet, usually available without sales tax and often with free shipping.
> 
> Store owners do not love this practice.


Neither do Treasury Depts, presumably. It's only a matter of time before they find a way to take their chunk.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Online shopping can be a big PITA!! Just this morning I received an email with a code for 20% off 3 facial creams when ordered on Amazon.com. I don't know how many times I entered the code only to have it rejected each time!

Nothing is better than face to face transactions in my opinion.


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## georgedelorean (Aug 18, 2017)

Regularly? No. However if there's something I can find anywhere else, then yeah, I'll buy a few things.


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