Sunday afternoon I ventured out of the house to go grocery shopping and I knew it was probably going to be a little crazy at the stores as people continue Christmas shopping and getting supplies for those big Christmas dinners. Sure enough, it was packed in the stores, which, to me, is a good sign!

Nowadays so many people claim they prefer shopping for stuff online compared to going to an actual store. I’ve never been a fan of shopping for things online for multiple reasons, the biggest being the fact that stores keep local people employed and as we all know, the job market and retail is a rapidly evolving landscape. To date the only thing I have ever bought online have been concert tickets.

The other reason I dislike online shopping is more of a personal reason. I’m built like an ostrich and, therefore, finding clothing that actually fits properly is a challenge. I need to be able to go to a change room and actually try things on because a size large in one store can be drastically different than a large in another store. I don’t have time to deal with returning things online. I want to be able to get something in my home town/city from local people right away.

The same goes for Christmas shopping. I want to be able to browse a store in person, be able to visually see what I want to buy, physically touch it, and know it’s going to be the right present. Thumbing through an online catalog just doesn’t do it for me and it never has, even back in the days of the Sears catalog. It was fun looking through the catalog, especially the Wishbook, circling what I wanted, but it was better going to the actual store and seeing it on the shelf knowing it was real!

I guess it may be easier to shop online, perhaps, but if you do, just take a moment to remember what the benefits of shopping at your local store really are. Happy Christmas shopping to you!