When December rolls around, the holiday season is in full force, bringing many shopping opportunities. Shopping for gifts for friends and family can be challenging for everyone, regardless of the holidays you observe. Fortunately, modern-day technology provides easy access to a variety of gifts that in-person shopping sometimes lacks.
Existing in the modern-day, we often overlook the overwhelming yet endless opportunities that exist, which tend to be a quick Apple payment away, with a very quick and easy workaround to the stress and inconvenience of holiday shopping: When one shops online, it provides complete access to the same items which are in stores at a convenience which allows shopping sprees any time of day (or night), but also at a more comfortable pace. While one may argue that this experience isn’t quite as simplistic and interactive, online shopping creates a wider variety of items that can be purchased from the comfort of your home and are appealing, as opposed to the stressful nature in stores. Speaking from personal experience, the stress of in-person holiday shopping is an experience one should avoid at all costs. If on Black Friday you’d rather not experience the neck-and-neck competition with Sephora 10-year-olds and crazed limited edition Stanley seekers, online shopping might be the right choice for you. In fact, Cyber Monday exists only online, allowing you to still participate in early holiday shopping and sales without braving the traditional lines and chaos of Black Friday.
This is not to say in-person shopping is without advantages. Especially when shopping for others, it can be useful to go in-store and ask those working there for advice. More often than not, one has no idea about the toy on their little sibling’s Christmas gift. Going in-store allows for a more personalized experience, and employees can help make sure you are getting the perfect gifts for friends and family without the risk of shipping delays.
Still, we prefer to do our holiday shopping online because gifts for even the most niche interests are easy to find without having to commute.While there may be some argued level of time and effort in-person shopping creates, it’s hard to push aside the limitless, infinite amount of unique items that can be found online; creating a truly personable gift for whoever you shop for. We do see the value in in-person shopping too, though. Even if the gift isn’t perfect, in-person shopping puts in the time and effort that really matters in gift-giving. How will you be shopping this holiday season?
