Urge to charge it beckons with online shopping
I desperately love my Australian friend Elessa, but I will never forgive her for introducing me to the wild and wonderful world of online shopping…or rather, my rapidly dwindling bank account will never forgive her. This is not to say that, prior to her influence, I had never purchased something on eBay or from one of my favourite stores' e-commerce sections, it's just that my previous routine merely scratched the surface of the assortment of endless websites dedicated to all kinds of mallrats. Thanks to my Aussie galpal, not only have I developed a new obsession, but as well, I have come to realize the many benefits of net-based browsing.
Coming from “down under,” the main reason as to why Elessa decided to give ‘clicking to buy' a whirl was so that she could get her hands on the countless labels unavailable in her region. Although we have access to the North American brands she fancies, I have found, in my own experiences, a similar desire to purchase labels not sold in Canada (such as Sass & Bide which is, incidentally, Australian). Clearly benefit number one then, in the realm of online buying, is “access to the inaccessible.”
Online shopping allows the opportunity to shop FROM any country TO any country in the whole world, so long as the store or website in question offers international shipping (the vast majority do these days). Moreover, not only is nearly every store or label you've ever fallen in love with available at your fingertips, but in addition, shopping online is extremely easy to do (hence my crazy credit card bills) and convenient too! Who wouldn't prefer to do their purchasing from the comfort of their own home, instead of fighting the crowds or waiting in seemingly ceaseless lines in retail hell? And speaking of the mall, I personally try to avoid it like the plague as there is nothing worse than walking around like an Urban Outfitters clone - which brings me to my next point: that being, selection.
Paris, NYC, Milan (the fashion capitals of the world, of course!), when it comes to online shopping, they're just a dot-com away, or rather, a dot fr. Just because it's online doesn't mean that you can't acquire quality, unique, or trend-setting finds. In fact, online purchasing can be just as exclusive as a Jimmy Choo sample sale. Sites such as giltgroupe.com, editorscloset.com, thetopsecret.com and others keep their stores (and deals) “hush-hush” by offering purchasing via invite or membership only. Considering several of these aforementioned webpages offer major designer label markdowns that are not available in stores, signing up for memberships is totally worth your while.
More on cost crunching...Have you ever found yourself in the situation in which you were completely infatuated by a piece created by the genius that is Alexander McQueen, but you simply couldn't justify spending (nor could you afford to) the 400 Euros necessary to obtain it? Well, with a little savviness and a few extra clicks of the mouse, sites like shopbop.com, bluefly.com, hautenet.com, and the outnet.com can help you score it for less. Even better are others, such as shopittome.com, which allow you to tailor your bargain hunt, and sign up for email notifications that let you know when whatever it is you're looking for goes on sale on any given website with which they're affiliated. But my fellow shopaholics, that is certainly not all...
Because discussions of “going green” remain so prevalent as of late, I also felt it essential to mention the positive environmental impact(s) that click happy shopping can offer. No more bags, no more trips to the store, no more reliance on printed catalogs, not to mention a serious reduction in excessive packaging are just a few! In addition, many e-commerce stores allow their visitors to pledge donations to sponsored charities along with their purchases, so while you're helping yourself, you can also help to contribute (conveniently, I might add) to a cause that's close to your heart.
Last, but certainly not least, online shopping is kind of like Christmas: after you order your goods, you must patiently wait for your friendly UPS or FedEx delivery man to arrive at your doorstep. When you receive your package, you are full of anticipation. Though you are aware of its contents, you can't help but get excited to tear through the parcel tape because you've been waiting so anxiously for the past two to four weeks (on average). Just be sure that you don't kick yourself when your Visa bill arrives next, because unfortunately, unlike the gifts we receive on Dec 25th, this time, Santa isn't picking up the tab.
Coming from “down under,” the main reason as to why Elessa decided to give ‘clicking to buy' a whirl was so that she could get her hands on the countless labels unavailable in her region. Although we have access to the North American brands she fancies, I have found, in my own experiences, a similar desire to purchase labels not sold in Canada (such as Sass & Bide which is, incidentally, Australian). Clearly benefit number one then, in the realm of online buying, is “access to the inaccessible.”
Online shopping allows the opportunity to shop FROM any country TO any country in the whole world, so long as the store or website in question offers international shipping (the vast majority do these days). Moreover, not only is nearly every store or label you've ever fallen in love with available at your fingertips, but in addition, shopping online is extremely easy to do (hence my crazy credit card bills) and convenient too! Who wouldn't prefer to do their purchasing from the comfort of their own home, instead of fighting the crowds or waiting in seemingly ceaseless lines in retail hell? And speaking of the mall, I personally try to avoid it like the plague as there is nothing worse than walking around like an Urban Outfitters clone - which brings me to my next point: that being, selection.
Paris, NYC, Milan (the fashion capitals of the world, of course!), when it comes to online shopping, they're just a dot-com away, or rather, a dot fr. Just because it's online doesn't mean that you can't acquire quality, unique, or trend-setting finds. In fact, online purchasing can be just as exclusive as a Jimmy Choo sample sale. Sites such as giltgroupe.com, editorscloset.com, thetopsecret.com and others keep their stores (and deals) “hush-hush” by offering purchasing via invite or membership only. Considering several of these aforementioned webpages offer major designer label markdowns that are not available in stores, signing up for memberships is totally worth your while.
More on cost crunching...Have you ever found yourself in the situation in which you were completely infatuated by a piece created by the genius that is Alexander McQueen, but you simply couldn't justify spending (nor could you afford to) the 400 Euros necessary to obtain it? Well, with a little savviness and a few extra clicks of the mouse, sites like shopbop.com, bluefly.com, hautenet.com, and the outnet.com can help you score it for less. Even better are others, such as shopittome.com, which allow you to tailor your bargain hunt, and sign up for email notifications that let you know when whatever it is you're looking for goes on sale on any given website with which they're affiliated. But my fellow shopaholics, that is certainly not all...
Because discussions of “going green” remain so prevalent as of late, I also felt it essential to mention the positive environmental impact(s) that click happy shopping can offer. No more bags, no more trips to the store, no more reliance on printed catalogs, not to mention a serious reduction in excessive packaging are just a few! In addition, many e-commerce stores allow their visitors to pledge donations to sponsored charities along with their purchases, so while you're helping yourself, you can also help to contribute (conveniently, I might add) to a cause that's close to your heart.
Last, but certainly not least, online shopping is kind of like Christmas: after you order your goods, you must patiently wait for your friendly UPS or FedEx delivery man to arrive at your doorstep. When you receive your package, you are full of anticipation. Though you are aware of its contents, you can't help but get excited to tear through the parcel tape because you've been waiting so anxiously for the past two to four weeks (on average). Just be sure that you don't kick yourself when your Visa bill arrives next, because unfortunately, unlike the gifts we receive on Dec 25th, this time, Santa isn't picking up the tab.
