Community Chat

[NoelSeven]

On 1/9/2015 croemer said:

I do as well...mainly because the stock just isn't there and I hate going from mall to mall...store to store. I would love to help local vendors stay in business.

^^^^^ This!

[NoelSeven]

Another benefit of shopping online is that we have access to reviews on most items. It saves a lot of heartache IMO.

I love Amazon! I'd been looking for a manicure product nail strengthener for weeks, I have thin nails and have found one by OPI works. Couldn't find it anywhere, and then checked Amazon and got it within a few days. Just one example.

[bikerbabe]

I have had bad experience with food from Amazon. Stale.

[sylviahomeatlast]

I like to shop locally. That is, at businesses that are owned by residents. As far as large chain stores go, on-line shopping is not such an issue for me. At least the taxes they pay (if I shop locally at Home Depot et al) taxes to our state, local area

[circles]

On 1/9/2015 happy housewife said:

I can not imagine buying shoes that you have not tried on.

I have several pair of shoes....all bought online....most from the Q.....

[sylviahomeatlast]

I also like to shop where I'm known. In small stores where there aren' t tons of merchandise and I can't find anything. At the places I go, the people help me find just the right things. I DO order on-line from nordstrom, and a few sites instead of driving 70 miles to Denver and dealing with that traffic.

[dooBdoo]

I'm slowly moving toward buying more from Amazon. We do pay sales tax, however -- they either add it onto the purchase or they send an accounting at the end of the year for people to use to pay at that time.

But I still try to support our local businesses. They're important to the economy and also to the community's well-being. I think they'll always have a niche, no matter what changes in the world of e-tail.

[Cakers1]

I don't do well walking out and about at a mall for hours anymore so I do shop online with stores and brands I know will not be a problem for sizes - like certain brands of shoes from Zappos. I do like to look at clothes for the grandchildren in person, though.

Buying from a local business is great but it has to offer something I need. Depends upon what the owner is offering - clothes are ok and some home decor businesses would be those I would shop at.

[millieshops]

For things heavier or more awkward than I can carry, for things I can't find locally, I'm inoto shopping online or TV.

However, one aspect of the places I live that I like is the availability of good shopping. That goes away when buyers disappear.

There used to be a wonderful clothing store in my village and women loved it, but apparently more to look than to buy. When the owner got to retirement age, he closed the business because it wasn't viable for a new owner. Twenty years later, I still hear women lament that shop is no longer a centerpiece in the shopping district.

I suspect right now, we shoppers have the ideal. There are still quite a few stores in many places and a huge percentage of us also have easy access to the Internet.

But the changes I'm seeing don't bode well for our local shopping future or for traditional jobs in retail. Just today I saw financial page reports showing 2 bug chains closing hundreds of stores between them. Both will continue online, but that doesn't begin to absorb all the lost jobs.

[Kachina624]

I have mobility issues and can't stand long enough to browse in stores so the Internet, especially Amazon, is a godsend for me. I received two 30lb bags of dog food about every 2 1/2 weeks delivered right to my door. I haven't been to the mall in several years. I have an easy-to-fit foot and order all of my considerable shoe wardrobe online. Rarely return anything.