Online shopping offers different options than a day at the mall

Years ago, shopping was an all-day affair. Entire families would clear their calendars to pile in the car, travel to the nearest department store and spend the day buying Johnny some new slacks.

But for today’s technologically savvy young adults, shopping is just a click away.

“I think it’s a lot easier,” Aaron Nicholas, freshman fashion design major, said of online shopping. “We basically live in a credit card society. People are spending more and more with credit and debit cards than cash, and it makes it easier to shop online.”

Freshman marketing major Bethany Schlotterer said she shops online all the time because, “It’s easier and usually cheaper. It saves the hassle of running around.”

The seemingly endless realm of online shopping not only allows shoppers to pursue whatever they want whenever they want, but also provides for the highly sought-after affair of bargain hunting. Web sites such as eBay and Amazon allow users to purchase merchandise at a reasonable, secondhand and sometimes wholesale price.

“A lot of times, they carry stuff that’s not in stores,” Nicholas said of online sites. “It’s also easier for manufacturers to ship directly. You can get cheaper things and sometimes wholesale.”

The online shopping craze has evolved from a means of simply purchasing items to a way to let someone know they are thought about. Web sites such as ProFlowers and Hallmark offer purchases of flowers, stuffed animals and chocolates, which can be sent to someone special.

“Godiva does shipping now,” said freshman communications major Miranda Reed. “My boyfriend, who is spending the semester in Spain, sent me chocolates for Valentine’s Day.”

“It was a four-tiered, Godiva tower of love,” she added, laughing.

Online shopping also opens doors to different kinds of purchases.

“There are different products online,” Nicholas said. “For some stores and businesses, the majority of their products are online.”

Reed utilizes online shopping to buy her books.

“I buy other things, but I mostly use it to buy books,” she said. “They’re cheaper, and you get them in about a week.”

She warned, however, about the importance of looking at the seller’s information before making any purchases.

“It’s always good to know who you’re buying from,” she said.

Contact features correspondent Maria Nann at [email protected].