I love to shop online. I greatly dislike shopping in stores.
After having children, I’ve loved online shopping more. I’ve also grown to despise shopping trips even more.
The past few Christmas seasons, we’ve almost exclusively bought gifts for family and friends online. Check that – just family. I don’t think we’ve bought for any friends in a long, long time. So, friends, if you’re reading this: you weren’t left out. I just really frequently group the words family and friends together. It’s a habit.
I tell you all of this because I want you to know that even I find some items to be a bit ridiculous to buy online.
I received a box of such ridiculous online shopping items on my doorstep last Saturday.
Please notice this is STRESS RELIEF body lotion!
Well, aren’t you ladies pretty?
My idea of fun: ordering lip gloss online and then modeling it for myself by myself at home, camera in hand. Honest to goodness, I was sitting down on the floor and I wanted to see how the lip gloss looked but didn’t want to stand up to look in the mirror. My camera was within arms reach, so I decided to take pictures and then look at them in the viewing screen instead of getting up.
Now you know the sad, sad truth.
By the way, the lip gloss is cranberry cocktail (I think) and it’s marvelous, as you can see.
Just for the record, I do consider buying soap online to be a wee bit silly. Let me explain. I’ve wanted to buy the pump soaps again after talking to my friend Alisa about refilling them with a mixture of liquid soap and water once these foofy soaps are gone. Alisa’s friend Abby had told her that the secret to the foamy output was in the dispenser. Abby, my dear, I hope you are right. I’ve got a lot invested in this idea (not really).
I love the foamy soap because it results in no clumps around my sink. I think that the Bath & Body Works pump soaps in particular are too concentrated. A little dab is all you need, and the kids just don’t understand it. And if you’re like me, you just can never get the last inch of soap at the bottom, no matter how much water you add and shake.
I’ve not tried this yet, but once one of these fancy foam soap dispensers is empty, I’ll get a refill of any ol’ liquid soap and add either 3 or 4 parts water to one part liquid soap and see what happens. I hope to get foamy magic.
I also must tell you that I’ve been carrying around a Bath & Body Works gift card for the last couple of years. I never go to the mall, so I never have the opportunity to spend it. Then last week, I got an email from B&BW about a 1/2 price sale on a variety of soaps, so I bought up what I could with that gift card, and even though I was charged shipping, I only paid $1.69 out of pocket.
For me, with a gift card, it was definitely worth not packing up the kids and driving to my nearest B&BW to take advantage of the sale prices. I didn’t really know what I was buying as far as fragrances go, but I haven’t smelled an offensive odor from that place yet, so I figured I was safe.
Do you think there are just some things you have to buy at a brick-and-mortar store even though you’re into online shopping? Maybe fruit and other perishables? For as much online shopping as I’ve done, I believe I’ve only bought one pair of shoes online and that was for a wedding where I fully expected the shoes to be ill-fitting anyway. A good pair of shoes I think I’d need to buy at a store rather than online. Especially with my monkey feet.
Please share if you’ve taken a moral stance not to buy a certain product online. Or tell me the most ridiculous (in your opinion) item you have bought online.
Hey Jesse, I like to shop online and convenient. I don’t do that much of it, depends on how much the shipping. I just went to bath and body the other night I had a $10 off $30 and there were some great sales in the store, so I got bunches of stuff for $22 including tax. I like that lotion you got, I like the Jasmine Vanilla and there is a mint kind too that I like and I buy the matching hand soap for them, its a little more spendy than there other ones, so I usually just use it in my downstairs bathroom for guests and have the matching lotion sitting there, its good stuff. Shoes I couldn’t my feet are too wide, so I have to try them on. I doget books once in awhile if there is one I want, but normally just go to library. I have grocery shopped an hyvee online and I loved that, just shop and then go pick it up at the store, haven’t done that in awhile, but its convenient and stops you from picking up extras, you should try it at hyvee.com sometime. sorry to drag on, guess I should have emailed you. Have a good day
You know I’m a professional shopper who thrives on the thrill of searching the stores for the very best deal and NEVER EVER paying full price for anything. I have to admit that I don’t do a lot of online shopping unless it’s for Detroit Lions stuff for GI Joe as they just don’t carry much of that around these parts. Other than that I’m just too cheap to pay the shipping. It bothers me to pay shipping for some reason. But when one of my fave stores runs an online free shipping offer you know I’m all in. :)
P.S. I have that lip gloss too and it is delightful.
When you put on that lip gloss you should have looked in the mirror and said, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the weirdest one of all?” You know, because you are a big weirdo.
I have to say I adore Zappos.com. Especially for things like shoes I wear to work, which typically aren’t on sale anyway, or there’s a general lack of selection in the Marshalltown area.
I kind of agree with Josh – but a mother isn’t supposed to say her daughter is a weirdo – maybe I can look at it as you are just having too much fun with that camera! You had no chance of being a store/mall shopper – your dad hates it & I try to do it only when necessary.
I couldn’t count the number of times I have just taken a picture of myself instead of getting my lazy butt up to go to a mirror. Maybe that’s why I like you so much…I don’t feel like a weirdo as long as someone else is just as weird.
It’s true, it’s true! Now you know how painfully cheap I am. I will keep the lovely Bath and Body Works soap in my bathroom with the pretty “vanilla” label on it, but that is not at all what you are getting….
I’m not an online shopper, but a major store shopper. It’d take 5 kids and a broken leg to keep me from good deals at the mall. Ridiculous, I know.
I looove on-line shopping as well. After my son was born, I fell in love with ebay and just on-line shopping in general. I like to buy fabric on-line from http://www.fatquartershop.com and from Hancock’s of Paducah. I like buying make-up, perfume, etc. from Sephora and clothes for my son on ebay. I’ve gotten some great deals.
Here’s an ickky, ickky, pooey fact for you….people sell their used, “well-worn” shoes on ebay. I guess some people have a certain foot fetish and will shell out big bucks for really stinky shoes. TMI? Probably. How do I know this fact? Well, once when looking for slippers (new, of course) for someone online, I ran across some of these ebay auctions. Really. Really. Unbelievable.
Seems like I am the only guy commenting on this. Should I feel weird? I couldn’t resist saying “sound like someone else I know”!! I have become accustomed to finding boxes just waiting at our door step when I come from work. Beats having me running out to the store for diapers and them. If only they can ship groceries at Walmart prices, then that would seal the deal.
i too love online shopping and DREAD store shopping..it is so not silly to buy soap online!! kids not in tow, its not as bad, but i rarely get to do the ‘fun’ shopping without them, so online it is. i just bought my first pair of shoes online, only after trying them on in a store to see if i would like them, and found them online for $25 less!!! i too do that 3 parts water 1 part antibacterial soap and it works like a charm (you can also use the containers that i believe dove handsoap comes in that is foaming too) and love the foaming stuff for the same reason you do… no icky glunk in the sink from the kids!!!
love your blog girl.. keep the ‘news’ coming..