Students and teachers are finding that shopping online can be a quicker and easier alternative to shopping in-store.
“It’s kind of like sending a present to yourself in the future,” Spanish teacher Jamie Shell said.
Online shopping has recently become a popular method of shopping for everyday items. Some students and teachers are finding that with online shopping they have more freedom, and they are provided with a wider selection to choose from.
According to Fortune Magazine, Amazon has recently been taking the lead for online shoppers. It has even been affecting sales from some of the major department stores such as Macy’s, Nordstrom and JCPenney. Even Target and Wal-Mart have started to fall back slightly on sales.
In mid-2016, Amazon posted $82.7 billion in sales. At the same time, Wal-Mart was only at $12.5 billion. A survey in 2016 taken from over 5,000 consumers who make frequent online purchases showed that people were making 51 percent of their purchases online, compared to consumers making only 48 percent of purchases online in 2015, and 47 percent in 2014.
Many people are finding that online shopping is more on-demand and provides customers with exact orders sent directly to their homes.
Sophomore Alex Krickhan said that she shops online frequently because it’s easier for her to order items like clothes and room decorations and because of the option of quick shipping.
“It’s easier for me because I don’t have to go anywhere. And I can just order whatever I want and get one or two-day shipping,” Krickhan said .
Shell enjoys shopping online for household items because she can order large amounts at one time whenever she needs them.
“I like to buy lots of household items online on Amazon and Etsy. I even buy toilet paper online because they’ll ship it in a huge package,” she said.
Some people have also found that online shopping provides the option to do a quick search from multiple providers. Online shopping can provide a wider variety of items to choose from when shopping, compared to being in the actual store because the business can’t always fit every item in the store.
Freshman Emma Loizzo said that online shopping provides her with more options to shop from. She added that it enables her to shop for items that would only be available for purchase online.
“I like to shop online for clothes and shoes. It’s easier to get deals, and there’s more options. It’s just easier. And I can buy a lot of things that I wouldn’t have availability to in store,” said Loizzo.
Krickhan said that online shopping can make it easier for someone to buy items from a store that they might not be able to get to in person.
“I usually buy clothes and some room decorations. I like being able to shop at stores that you don’t necessarily have in your area,” said Krickhan.
Online shopping can also be an alternative for people who don’t want to have to deal with huge crowds of people and traffic. Many malls and other shopping areas can get pretty crowded on regular days.
On holidays like Black Friday and Christmas, the traffic can get extreme. According to ShopperTrak, the last Saturday before Christmas Eve, known as Super Saturday, sees a great increase in traffic at shopping centers. And on Black Friday, luxury items, electronics and jewelry retailers see the greatest increase in shoppers.
In 2016, Black Friday sales were at $3.34 billion, which was actually a new sales record. But then with Cyber Monday shortly following it, the sales saw an even bigger increase, with $3.45 billion, according to CNBC Holiday Central.
Shell said that with online shopping, customers have access to better deals and that it can also benefit people who don’t really like to interact with people while they’re out.
“With online shopping, you can easily shop around for a good deal. And if you’re more introverted and you just don’t want to deal with traffic and people, it’s really easy,” said Shell.
Sophomore Austin Oneka said that he benefits from online shopping because he can stay right where he’s at and he doesn’t have to worry about having to interact with other people.
“I like online shopping because I don’t have to move to go anywhere, and I don’t have to talk to anyone because I can get shy sometimes,” said Oneka.