Online Shopping Made Easy

Who doesn’t love to shop online? Online shopping is the answer to every woman’s – but probably more so men’s – dream. Last minute birthday gift to purchase? Do it online. Need a new wardrobe before you head to the Caribbean in two weeks but have no time left to go shopping? Do it online. Online shopping is so easy and so convenient and let’s face it; the best way to kill time during that last hour of work on a Friday afternoon. As easy and addictive as online shopping is, however, it can be even more convenient; as impossible as that sounds.

Store Pickup

If we’re really being honest here, we can all admit that the only downfall to online shopping is the astronomical price of shipping, especially if you want something five minutes ago. It doesn’t make sense to spend almost as much on shipping as you did for your item. The best way to eliminate this problem is to see if the website you are purchasing from has a local store that offers store pickup. A number of stores will ship to the store free of charge as long as you pick up your item when it arrives.

Check for Coupon Codes

It only takes a second to do an internet search with the name of the store you plan on shopping and the word coupon or promo code. These extra seconds might net you a big savings, such as free shipping, a percentage discount off the total price of your order or even a free gift. It’s always worth the time to check and see what you can get extra or what you can get free. Free is good. Extra is good. Not having to fight for a parking space within walking distance of the mall is good.

Look for the “S”

When you’re shopping online, you can pretty much guarantee that the major retailers you love (Nordstrom, Target, Amazon) are secure, but some smaller businesses might not be. If you are unsure whether or not to provide your financial information to a site for that must have item, check to see if the server uses “https”. The “S” at the end tells you that the site is using a secure server, which means your information is secure.