UNITED STATES—Question: are you someone who loves to shop online or do you like to shop in the actual brick-and-mortar store? I am someone who loves to shop in store because I want to physically see what I’m purchasing, I want to touch it and I like the idea of having that item as soon as I purchase it. The idea of waiting for something to ship, not having that certainty that the item that you want will be delivered, on time and not damaged is a bit of a gamble that I prefer not to take.

There are so many companies shutting their doors as a direct result of online shopping. I will be the first to admit it I hate Amazon. I think it’s a monopoly that is causing so many retailers to shut their doors. Making the situation worse is Amazon does not offer the greatest prices as so many people would like to think. Online shopping has turned us into zombies. We have become lazy; we just sit at a desk, on a phone, near a tablet and just ordering away without ever having to leave our home.

Online shopping is the reason so many of us are overweight, it’s one of the reasons that we have so much identity theft, it’s the reason we think everything should be catered to us without a second thought. You do sometimes get exceptional deals online, but the caveat is the fact that you don’t get free shipping at most retailers. You are forced to spend a specific dollar amount for that to happen. That is perhaps the biggest thing that turns me away from shopping online. I’m not paying for shipping, I just do not believe in it America.

In addition, I like to interact with people. You unfortunately, cannot do that online. You can chat with people, but it’s not the same face-to-face interaction. In addition, you have so many situations where especially clothing that you cannot try on the item. You don’t know what it’s going to look like on you; you don’t know if it will fit, you don’t know if you will receive the right item in the mail.

Online shopping is causing many people to lose their jobs, it is leading to stores being closed and in large numbers because the cost to operate that establishment is costlier than just having a website where people can click on items and have them shipped to them. If I was a business owner, it makes sense to close stores that are not fully performing, but what about the employees that I hired? What do I tell them? Do I just keep a lid on acknowledging the truth that business can be cruel?

It’s a tough call, but I do believe retailers want to give that customer the full experience. You unfortunately cannot do that online, whereas in the store, you get that full-fledged loyalty from the retailer. They cater to you and do their best to make you a repeat customer that comes back over and over and over again. In addition, you sometimes get those neat shopping bags from the retailer; it’s a feeling of glow that you don’t always get with online shopping. You never know when that item is being delivered; it could be 10 a.m., 2 p.m. or 8 p.m. You have to wait all day for it, whereas with in store purchases you have it immediately. Think about that America, think about it.

Written By Zoe Mitchell