Miss OHLALA debates online versus offline shopping.
Let’s have a moment of silence for all the clothes we added to the cart, but never bought. It happens. All it takes is a couple of clicks before you’re deep in a virtual store, haphazardly selecting items and silently justifying the purchase to yourself. And if it wasn’t for a glance at that tiny text warning you about your rapidly increasing total, you would’ve done it already: spent a fortune! Online shopping is so easy, it’s dangerous. Agreed?
I’m sitting here debating which type of shopping – online or offline – is actually better. And is there even an obvious winner? Well, you walk away from both armed with treats in the end, but both are very different from each other. Shopping IRL is wonderful. It’s an adventure. The palpable joy that comes from going on a shopping spree with a couple of girlfriends in tow is something you just cannot get through browsing an e-tailer when insomnia strikes. The rush of juggling multiple shopping bags is real. Trying on clothes, exploring the feel of different fabrics, and seeing the design elements from up close makes a difference.
But that doesn’t mean traditional shopping is necessarily better. It’s just the better choice when the actual shopping experience is what you’re after. But what if you’re shopping with a specific purpose? You’ve (finally) found the perfect pair of jeans and want a spare, your trusty face cleanser is running out, you’re in dire need of basic black flats. Will you really head to a crowded mall mid-pandemic? We wouldn’t. This is where online shopping triumphs. For one, you’ll save on time and energy – and maybe even be safe from the perils of impulse purchases. You can also compare prices on different websites before you commit. Win-win. So back to the question at hand: online or offline shopping? Our answer: there’s no winner.
We simply can’t compare the two shopping types with each other. Depending on what we want – aimlessly enjoying the experience or updating a to-do list – we’ll alternate between the two, and there is nothing wrong with that. Credit cards at the ready