Online shopping, a revolutionary concept not too long ago, is now a mainstay. You can do all your shopping conveniently at home instead of making the long, nerve-racking journey to the mall and standing in endless lines.
In America alone, consumers spend tens of billions of dollars per year over the Internet.
And why not? They say the main reasons you shop online are convenience, lower cost, more privacy and a bigger selection.
Still, there are some people who think that shopping online is risky. And who can blame them?
Everyone has heard terrifying stories about people being deceived when buying something on the Internet. It may have even happened to you.
Where can you find an exact guarantee that merchandise will be delivered to you once you have already given your credit card number?
I know one poor consumer who never received his acquisition and was desperately seeking for a law that would oblige his seller to fulfill his part of a sale contract. And this purchase was far more expensive than a bar of soap or $10 used book.
Another guy happily received his order and then promptly forgot about it. That is, he forgot about it until he faced suspiciously unreasonable withdrawals from his credit card.
Finally, you never know if you will be satisfied with your merchandise. But if you want to return your purchase, the process turns into a long and painful procedure.
You lose money in shipping. If it never comes, and you have the audacity to call the online company and complain (you know, talk to a human being), you are put on hold or given to an endless supply of answering machines.
Online companies are notorious for never being in the office, if they have a telephone number at all. Why should they have a telephone number or an office? That defeats the “online mentality.”
As for me, I really don’t like the idea of everything becoming so fast and convenient. We all get even busier rushing from fast food to meetings to any place else that occupies our fast-paced lives. Now eating out becomes a necessity instead of a pleasure. And shopping online has become a lonely, solitary process, depriving you of the real joy of shopping that people have enjoyed ever since there have been shops: spending time with your friends.
Since guys are not known to love shopping, I am appealing mainly to the females of MSU.
Won’t you miss your time-honored ritual of “shopping til you drop” with your girlfriends if online shopping completely replaces it? I will.
A real “old fashioned” shopping can work as a stress release and help you to meet new people. Besides, it’s just fun.
Yet, if you still believe that spending time in stores is a waste of time, or if you are a busy or cautious person, be sure that you follow certain rules to keep your online shopping secure and safe.
Know your sellers, use secure sites, keep transaction records and keep your computer private and free from spyware.
If you’re still losing sleep over the possibility of your credit card number being stolen, you can try substitute or single-use card number for your online purchases. Substitute numbers are valid for a single purchase, and immediately afterwards, they expire.
That way, even if a hacker or dishonest employee steals your credit card number, you are protected from identity theft.
Sounds good, doesn’t it? All you need to do is to check with your credit card company to see whether substitute numbers are available.
However, any merchant, online or offline, could steal your credit card and use it to buy things. Know the reputation of the company you are dealing with.
Shopping via Internet may result in either horror stories or good experiences depending on how you use it and the precautions you take.
Milana Karayanidi is a freshman international business major. She can be reached at [email protected].