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| Photo credit: Gillian Flaccus, via AP |
And besides, all of the toilet paper and disinfectant wipes and gels are gone.
(Ugh... people are stupid.)
I've never liked shopping, have tried to avoid it at all cost. I especially hate shopping with family members, who seem to take a twisted delight at dragging me from store to store. For me, ordering online and having a package delivered to my doorstep is a stroke of genius.
For more than a year, DW and I have been subscribing to Amazon Prime. At first, it seemed like an extravagance that we didn't really need. We rarely ordered anything online, save the occasional book or CD. When streaming or downloading music became the norm, and when DW relied more on her e-book, we almost thought that our online shopping would dry up.
We started with a free, 30-day trial of Prime. We didn't think we'd use it, so we would stockpile items that we'd want, order them all through the trial period, and then cancel.
After all, if we found we needed something else in a couple of months, we could always sign up for the trial period, again.
It was the TV shows that finally hooked us. Bosch, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Jack Ryan. We had recently cut our ties with our TV cable and were exclusively streaming through an unlimited Internet package. The monthly fee was far less than what we had been paying for cable, so we were still ahead of the curve.
That's when the shopping accelerated.
DW wanted loose-leaf tea. But instead of going to the grocery store, we ordered it online. It came to our door the next day, cheaper than our local store and with free shipping.
I bought my 360-degree video camera directly from the manufacturer but ordered all of my accessories online.
On a recent Saturday evening, just before midnight, I wanted a micro USB cable that I could use to connect my smartphone to our new vehicle, so that I could use Android Auto to integrate the two. I already had plenty of cables, but I needed something special.
I could have searched my local Best Buy, The Source, or Staples, but because it was almost midnight, I would have to wait until later, on Sunday, after my family went out for brunch with my parents and sister.
Instead, I placed my order on Amazon before I turned off the light and went to bed. The next morning, as I was enjoying brunch, I received an e-mail message that my package would be arriving at my doorstep within the next few hours. By the time brunch was done and my family and I drove home, the cable (which is perfect!), was awaiting me.
So far, this week, I've had a package arrive on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. I'm expecting another delivery next Monday. If I think of something else that I need, I'll pick up my smartphone, which holds Amazon's app, and tap a few buttons.
My family and I are the death of retail stores.
Over the weekend, DW and I went shopping for a mirrorless camera for her. She wants something small and light for our upcoming trip to Europe. She and I researched the various brands and levels of camera, watching reviews on YouTube, before we settled on a particular camera.
I'm loyal to Henry's, my local camera store. That's where I've bought three D-SLRs, all of my lenses, flashes, tripods, and other accessories. I wanted to give them our business, so DW and I paid them a visit on Sunday. When we arrived, I asked them if they price-matched from Amazon.
They did, which saved us $50, and DW was glad that she could hold the camera before making her final decision, and we wouldn't have to wait to have the camera delivered. In and out of the store in under 30 minutes.
Henry's didn't have a case that DW liked. They didn't have the extra lens that she wanted, and we learned that it was on back-order.
No worries: as soon as we got to our car, I found the lens on Amazon with a guaranteed delivery date. I also found a good deal on extra batteries and SD cards. After a couple of taps, we had everything that we needed for DW's new purchase.
We're getting out of hand. It's too easy to shop online, and it's making us really lazy. We're killing the brick-and-mortar shops.
On the other hand, in light of COVID-19, I tell myself that, in an effort to reduce the spread of germs, am I best to avoid crowded stores? I have no fear that I or anyone else in my family is going to catch the Coronavirus, but it is the flu season and I've just caught a head cold. Online shopping certainly ensures that I don't spread my bug or catch anything else.
It's a balancing act. There are some things that I simply wouldn't buy without seeing up close, without getting my hands on: a camera, a car, some articles of clothing. I would never order fresh produce online (though, last week, DW ordered groceries online and drove to the store to pick them up: her canned goods and household products were brought to her as she sat in the parking lot) but have no problem ordering a meal for delivery.
How about you? Do you order online? What sort of items do you order? What do you refuse to order online? Is Amazon a bridge too far for you? Share your thoughts.
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