Benefits of Shopping Online
Christmas can be a very extensive time of the year, with people spending around $1079 on gifts according to moneysmart. That doesn’t include the cost of travel or any Christmas meals. That’s just gifts alone. For many people, that’s a week’s wages, which can take its toll on people’s bank balances. Many people find themselves getting into credit card debt and then later being slugged with the interest during the year, so they actually spend more than just the cost of gifts.
There are of course ways that you can save money on your Christmas gifts. You can purchase them online, which will give you a range of benefits that you just won’t get in a store.
When you shop online you’re opening yourself up to a whole world of options that you wouldn’t have if you were walking down the main street of your local city. Instead of just having 5 – 10 suitable stores to choose from you could potentially have hundreds, if not thousands of suitable stores to choose from. The great thing about that is that with choice comes competition and supply. The greater the supply, the lower the price. That means that if you are on a budget, you’ll find it easier to save money.
You can also save yourself having some awkward conversations in stores. How many times have you been in a retail environment and you’ve found yourself being followed by a sales assistant? It can be annoying and when an assistant is on your tail you may find that you spend money that you don’t want to spend and that you blow the budget. That isn’t an option if you shop online because you are shopping from the comfort of your own home. You can shop without interruption and that means that you can get through your shopping much faster than if you were shopping in a physical store. You also won’t have to deal with crowds or out of stock items because if one website doesn’t have an item you want, you can simply quickly type in another domain and you’ll be able to get it elsewhere. This is excellent for people who are time poor and can’t get away from the office during the day to go Christmas shopping. That will save you from disappointment as well.
Online retail shopping is generally cheaper than shopping in physical stores. Online stores tend to offer greater discounts around Christmas time and you’ll find yourself saving substantial money. According to The Guardian, you’ll be able to save up to 50% off the already discounted price. Online retailers can offer lower prices because they have lower overheads and don’t need to pay as many wages as those running physical stores. As it gets closer and closer to Christmas time you may also be able to get free gift wrapping and delivery, saving you up to $20 – $30 depending on the item that you’re buying and where it’s being shipped. Another cost you won’t need to fork out for is that of parking. Parking can be up to $10 per hour in a major city like Sydney or Melbourne, so when you shop online, you avoid those parking charges and that can really help the bank balance if you’ve already spent a lot on your gifts, or it could leave you with more money to spend on gifts.
People tend to be price conscious, and as briefly mentioned, you can find yourself saving money if you shop online. This is because of the lower overheads but it’s also because rather than just going to one or two stores, you can compare with many more so you can get the best price on the market and that could save you money. Some stores even offer to price match if you find a cheaper price elsewhere. You can often do this while still getting the same quality as you would in a traditional retail environment.
If you’re one of those people that leaves their Christmas shopping to the last minute that’s not a problem. You can shop online on Christmas Day which means you can take advantage of Boxing Day sales. It’s a well-known tradition that these sales tend to start on Christmas Day. Physical stores are closed on Christmas Day because of legislation, however that legislation does not apply to online stores, so if you find yourself in the mood for shopping on Christmas Day, you can. This is great for those of you who received cash or vouchers for Christmas Day and want to spend them.
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