Many small but even large stores are finding it increasingly difficult because online shopping is their major competitor and is becoming increasingly popular. Yet there are also major advantages to shopping in a city. It’s always fun to go out for a day with friends/family. You can read more about the advantages and disadvantages of online shopping and/or shopping in the city.
The travel distance and costs
If the shops are within walking and/or cycling distance, the trip is in any case free and the distance is probably doable. However, if you live a little further from the shops, you will have to deal with the following disadvantages:
- the travel time
- the costs for a train/bus ticket or petrol costs
- possible parking fee
When shopping online you often pay shipping costs. So you can decide which is cheaper for you, the trip or the shipping costs.
The shops
Some stores do not have an online shop. So if you like to buy from one particular store, you are still obliged to go to the stores. There are also online stores that do not have branches that you can visit. If you actually go shopping on location, you can make it a fun day out. The staff is ready to help you and given the competition from online stores, the stores in the city will do their best to make it attractive to customers. There are shops where a soothing scent is spread, you can sometimes enjoy a cup of tea or coffee while shopping and the shopping centers are pleasantly decorated.
The fitting
The dimensions of clothing can often be found via online clothing stores, but that does not guarantee that it will fit. Sometimes returns can only be made for a fee, so just trying it on costs money. There is not only the risk that something does not fit, but also the risk that:
- the fabric is thicker or thinner than expected
- the fabric does not fit comfortably
- that it looks different than in the picture
- that it falls less nicely
The pictures from the internet are sometimes only of the garment itself and sometimes of a beautiful model. This makes it very difficult to compare how the garment will look on you.
In the store you sometimes have to wait a while before your turn at a fitting room, but then you know immediately where you stand. If it doesn’t fit in the store, you can immediately look for a different size.
If you buy something from an online store that also has branches, you can usually return the clothing in the store with the receipt.
Some sizes are sometimes no longer available in the online store, while they are still available in the city. If you don’t want to take the risk of going into town because your size might be there, you can always call the store.
The crowds
On working days it is usually easy to do in the big cities. However, on weekends when most people have time off, the city is often busy. The shops are set up for this and the queues are usually not extremely long. However, it can be very annoying to have to avoid all other consumers and try not to get in anyone’s way. The opening hours are becoming longer, but you still have to take the opening hours of the shops into account.
You can quietly shop online all day long at home behind your computer. There are no queues and you can order clothes all day long. However , depending on the delivery time and stock, it may take a number of days or sometimes weeks before you receive a garment.
Paying it
When you go to the shops you can pay in cash or by debit card. You usually have several options online. However, cash payment at the door is being done less and less for safety reasons. This means that you sometimes have to pay by card at the door, which in turn puts you at risk. In addition, not all websites are equally reliable and it can happen that you pay and receive nothing.