Borrowing from Chris' list, is this month's Friday Five questions on shopping plus an extra special bonus question, making this an even six pack.
- Do you like to shop? Why or why not?
I would divide shopping into various tasks:- Research -- which I define as learning what kinds of products offer in a particular area of need, regardless of field. I enjoy this very much. I would be in a very happy place if I could find someone to pay me to do this for a living.
- Browsing -- Once the parameters are identified, I like considering the options. This is where online has been a boon because I have the option of being totally side tracked.
- Interaction with Salespeople -- Overall, this is an area of frustration. I hate having my time wasted by someone who doesn't know what they're talking about, and I definitely don't like being pressured. For highly personalized products (e.g., a suit) a good salesperson makes a world of difference. For commoditized items (e.g., a car), they don't.
Good Example #1: I walk into the Men's Wearhouse to buy a suit. Someone immediately starts helping me sort through my fashion paralysis and spends 60 minutes finding something that fits really well. I return to try it on, and it's still baggy in the butt, and the sales rep apologizes, arranges to tailor it again until it's right.
Bad Example #1: When buying my Ford Ranger pickup (several years ago), I was scheduled to do another test drive and buy it if I still liked it. Austin was hit with an ice storm, which meant none of the roads were passable (people woudl still try, however). As a courtesy, I called to cancel. The salesperson, wanting to create a sense of urgency, insisted someone was looking at my truck. I called his bullshit. - Parking/standing in checkout -- hate it. I noticed that more stores are getting the self-checkout kiosks installed. Let me offer this observation: it works fine for groceries where everything's small, labeled and the kiosk monitor isn't reading War and Peace. It does not work in Home Depot where you have a combination of small items (a 1/4" zinc washer), heavy items (5 gallons of latex wall paint), or big items (12' piece of baseboard) in one purchase. (Technical reason: they assume you're shoplifting if the item doesn't originate on the entry scale. Try putting one of the aforementioned items on it, scanning, then in the frickin bag.)
- Buyer's remorse -- I used to get this with big ticket items, versus filberts (see below), but I usually research enough that I feel like I've owned the product for years by the time I actually purchase it.
- What was the last thing you purchased?
Yesterday I bought a pound of filberts and two propane canisters for my camp stove. The last "durable good" item was a bicycle. - Do you prefer shopping online or at an actual store? Why?
It depends on the item. I prefer online for the research and browsing phases, especially when there is a lot of information to consider or I can save a bundle.
In-store is preferred when the shopping experience is good, the quality varies enough that personal attention is needed (e.g., reading labels on food), or there's a sense of urgency (e.g., I need a belt sander to finish out a floor today). For example, I love shopping at PCC, a local grocery store because it's small, the products are good quality, and the people are genuinely helpful. Home Depot is conceptually fun to shop at, but it's a pain in the ass to get help or check out. - Did you get an allowance as a child? How much was it?
Yes, $.25 a week for doing various chores around the house. I would blow it on candy at the local Circle K convenience store. - What was the last thing you regret purchasing?
I've generally had bad luck with any electronics purchased at Costco. This is mitigated by their generous return policies. - Bonus question: What will/won't you buy online?
I buy a lot of books online, usually an order every three weeks. As I'm now on a (cough, cough) budget, I've rediscovered my public library.
Another category I frequent is software, though it's a commodity item that I shop for based solely on price. And yes, I do support shareware/trialware like Steganos, Zone Alarm, GoldWave, Ad-aware and Spybot.
I've purchased a car (a Subaru Impreza, weighing in at 3,000 pounds) and a bicycle online because they offered me exactly what I wanted at a fair price. Sporting goods is something I'd consider buying online, but not through a shell store. In other words, going directly to Performance or Bike Nashbar is fine, but it doesn't make sense for me to go to an uber storefront who's just going to pass off all the responsibility to the vendor anyway.
I don't buy tools because they're too heavy to ship, and when I need one, it's usually for a specific, current task. Except for jeans, I don't buy clothes online. My fashion deficiency combined with the lack of standard sizes or a reasonable return policy makes online an unappealing venue. Gourmet food would seem like a great idea, but the shipping is prohibitive. Online jewelry is not my demographic. (Can someone explain this?)
I no longer buy DVDs because I rent from Netflix. I rarely buy CDs. My kids don't like my music, and beside, Vivaldi's dead. (Do you hear me? DEAD!!).
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