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Thursday, March 28, 2024

There’s not many things you can’t find and purchase online: books, movies, cars, and the weird commodities of Craigslist. Online shopping has become a convenient service for when we need something quick and efficient.

It’s easy when you’re writing an essay or researching information to open a new tab and search Amazon for whatever you so desire, and get it shipped to you in two days if you’re a student member. Some sites offer free shipping and handling if you purchase a certain amount. There are even other sites that offer online promotional codes to give you a discount off your purchase.

Having an online shopping cart is more convenient than an actual one because you can easily add and remove items. You don’t even have to wait through the long checkout line. Just enter in your credit card number and mailing address and bing! Your purchase will be delivered to you within five to ten business days.

However, when purchasing clothes, you’re risking the chance that they won’t fit because you can’t go into a dressing room and try them on. If you’re in between sizes on the chart, it’s hard to judge whether to go on the smaller size or bigger. For my senior year of homecoming, I bought a dress online that I fell in love with. However, having to assume what size to get because my measurements weren’t listed, I didn’t fit into my dress when it arrived a week before the dance. This hasn’t happened every time though; I have bought clothes online that have fit me perfectly. It depends on what site you’re shopping from as to how the sizes run.

Many times we get lost in how many items are added to the cart. Not being tangibly there, it could increase from one to twenty items, from $10 to $100. We don’t even realize how much money we’re spending until we go to checkout.

Still, many of us don’t have time to go out and find the specific book or jacket we need. It’s much easier to input our order and have it come to us. Plus some items are only available online and they might be cheaper than in the stores.

So when shopping online, the same rules apply as to when you go to the mall: don’t spend excessively and buy things you don’t need, be wary with sizes when purchasing clothes, and check for coupons to help save money.

Take advantage of this convenience, but don’t max out your credit card.

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