When Online Shopping Fails

11th January 2023

Undeniably, online shopping is much more convenient and less hassle than buying in stores. Nowadays, people prefer this kind of shopping as they don't need to go to physical stores to buy what they want, thus saving money for fares and time for traveling. With just one tap on their shopping apps, the items will be delivered in the next few hours or days. Who doesn't like that convenient way of living anyway? Technology does make our life much more convenient and comfortable.

It was in 2019 when I first experience online shopping. That was when I was in Manila and I did online shopping because I find the city too hassle to travel when buying something in different shops. Besides, I wasn't familiar with the different routes in the city. My experience was good so far and the items I ordered were delivered on time and in good condition.

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My recent online shopping experience was just last month. I opted to buy Christmas gifts for my family and the only way to do it was through online shops. It isn't my forte as I prefer going to shops for several reasons. One of which is the typical "Expectations vs. Reality" feedback I've been seeing online. Moreover, I don't like wasting money on things that I would regret later. However, I gave it a try as I truly wanted to send something for my family, especially my nieces and nephews.

Before placing orders, I made sure to choose those with good feedback. Another thing I put into account was the shipping fee. It freaked me out seeing more than a Php100 shipping fee for orders in every store since our location is in a far province. So to lessen the fee I chose the days when I could get a shipping fee discount, or buy in bulk to activate free vouchers from the shops. Usually, the 30th of the month offers free shipping for selected items since it's Payday.

There are perks for newbies too on this certain online shop I downloaded, such as discount vouchers and free shipping. Some Filipinos I know on this platform are using this app so I chose it too. And it's also the same app I used way back.

The verdict came when my orders were delivered to my home one by one. Well, some of the items have good quality, but the majority don't and I felt like I wasted money buying them. These shoes, for instance, which I bought for my brother looked good in the photo but the one that was delivered to my house wasn't. At least, it fits his feet sizes so he can use it.

The male shirts and pants, on the other hand, were delivered in good condition but the quality wasn't satisfying. Meanwhile, 2 of the 6 pairs of baby shoes for my niece didn't fit, even though I chose bigger sizes.

That's another thing I don't like in online shopping, the actual size can be different from the ones in photos, especially for clothes and shoes.

And upon calculating the amount I spent buying all items online, I regretted it. I should have just told my mom to buy gifts in stores.

So if I would choose whether to do online or physical store shopping, I would rather go to physical stores to do shopping, especially if items include clothes, shoes, and gadgets. In that way, I could carefully choose items of good quality, and would not be a waste of money. Although it's kind've hassle and time-consuming, it is better than getting low-quality items online.

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This is in response to Hive Learners contest with the topic "Online vs Physical Shop".

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