Shopping online is not a new concept these days. In fact it is becoming the norm for many people to purchase their clothes, gifts, toys or electronics online. But, what about household goods? What about those items that you buy on a regular, recurring basis?
I was surprised at how much time (and most often aggravation) it really does save me to purchase these types of items online as well. From toilet paper to wax paper, from baby supplies to pet supplies, from dish soap to laundry soap; it can all be purchased online much faster and easier than a trip to the local discount store. And, considering myself an average consumer, I will show you how.
I compared how many actual steps are involved in traveling to my local discount store for household goods as opposed to purchasing them online at sites like Soap.com, Stockngo.com and Alice.com, which is my personal favorite. I think you might be as surprised as I was!
Local discount store
1. Walk outside to vehicle and start the engine
2. Begin the drive to the store
3. Run into traffic (aggravation begins)
4. Pull into parking lot and search for open spot (aggravation)
5. Find spot, park car, hike to the store entrance
6. Obtain shopping cart and begin shopping
7. Walk through the store, up and down the aisles, adding items to cart
8. Stop for impulse purchases along the way
9. Complete shopping, head to checkout
10. Find shortest line, wait in line (more aggravation)
11. Unload items from cart onto belt, pay clerk
12. Load bagged items back into cart
13. Exit store, walk cart to car, unload bags into car
14. Find cart corral to store cart, get into car, start the engine
15. Begin the drive home
16. Run into traffic (yet more aggravation)
17. Arrive home, park, unload bags into house – usually making more than one trip back and forth
18. Unload items from bags, put items away
Estimated time: 1 ½ – 2 hours
Online shopping
1. Walk to my desk and grab my laptop
2. Get comfy on the couch and open my browser
3. Click my Toolbar link to Alice.com
4. Begin shopping, click items to add to cart
5. Complete shopping, click to checkout and pay
6. Wait 3 – 5 days for shipment to arrive
7. Once shipment is delivered to door, bring inside
8. Unload box, put items away
Estimated time: 30 minutes
Aside from the obviously large difference in time, shopping online proves to also be much easier and less aggravating, at least for me. Wouldn’t you agree?
You are probably thinking that it is not worth it because shopping online probably costs more for products and then shipping costs as well, but you would be incorrect! I personally have found the prices on Alice.com to be comparable to those at my local discount store, if not cheaper. They also offer automatic coupons and other ways to save.
As far as the shipping costs, all I have to do is spend $40 on products ($39 on some web sites) and the shipping is free. Let’s face it $40 on household items adds up quite easily. Plus, I am not stopping in the shoe aisle or the clothing department on the way to buy my paper goods, so impulse buys are eliminated, which also saves me money.
Well, there you have it! I have found myself a convenient way to save tons of time (and money) by purchasing my household items online. If you disagree, maybe you should give it a try!
