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Online versus in-store shopping

Every year, Christmas rolls around and there is shopping to be done. It is no surprise that technology has advanced over the years to offer a second way for people to shop. There is online shopping for almost every store you can think of as well as basic in-store shopping. When it comes to shopping everyone has his or her preferences.

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With online shopping there are pros and cons to it. First and most obvious pro to online shopping is that it can be done pretty much anywhere. The benefit of that is that when a deal starts at a store, you can jump on your phone or computer and instantly have access to it. Another benefit of online shopping is that you can avoid the lines that you would be stuck in at the store. There are particularly long lines during the holiday season, so online shopping in this case can be less time consuming.

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In-store shopping is the type of shopping that I personally prefer. I am a very visual and physical person, so I need to hold, see, feel, smell, etc. the item in person in order to commit to buying it. With in-store shopping you get the full experience of seeing the items upfront and having that interaction with the employees and other shoppers. One thing that can be seen as a major benefit of in-store shopping is that there is no shipping fee. With online shopping, you pay for shipping the majority of the time unless there is a promotion going on. Shipping can be very expensive and a turnoff for many people. It all depends on the person at the end of the day and whether or not they mind paying that extra fee or not.

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Another factor that goes into the decision of which type of shopping you do is when you need the item that you are purchasing. With online shopping, typically it can take about 3-5 business days for your item to arrive. Although there are occasions such as the holidays where stores get backed up and your item does not ship as fast. There are options to pay more for faster shipping, but even then nothing is 100% guaranteed. Therefore, if you need a certain item as soon as possible, your safest option is to go to the store and buy it. If you are ordering items on Cyber Monday for Christmas, then there is plenty of time for your item to arrive.

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Shopping is all about personal preference. Whether you choose to shop online or in-store, I hope that you enjoy the adventure and I wish you the best of luck with finding some great deals!

11/28/2017

By Rachel Frye, Lifestyles Editor

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