Tips For Shopping Online

If you are living in the current digital age like me, then I’m sure you are no stranger to online shopping. In fact, if you want to hear a statistic that I am going to completely make up right now, it is said that 78% of people prefer shopping online compared to going to an actual brick and mortar store. 

I know that 2020 created a huge demand for online shopping, and probably pushed the world of eCommerce into a whole new level that will be interesting to see going forward. If you’re not aware, there was a pandemic that swept across the world in early 2020, which caused many governments in more populated countries to shut down various services that were deemed as too dangerous to keep open to the public. The hope was that by shutting down some of these non-essential businesses, there would be less chance of the virus spreading between large groups of people who would have otherwise been gathered at these areas.

Well it turns out that, when everything else is closed, people will still turn to the internet for their groceries, clothes, home goods, and anything else you can think of. Literally, you can find just about anything online if you are willing to look long enough and pay enough money. You can even find illegal things on the internet, which is pretty scary in my opinion. Overall, I sense that there has been a great shift in our society because of the pandemic, and that more people than ever before are online shopping. Because of this, I wanted to write an article that would give some advice to those less-experienced internet shoppers, and hopefully can help you save money, avoid scams, and most importantly, have fun on the internet like the good old days!

My first tip that I have for you is to not click on links that you don’t feel safe about. Old people do this all the time, so if you are old and you are reading this, then I need you to really take this one to heart; for the love of everything that is holy, know that nobody wants to give you free money or will ask you for money over the internet. Listen guys, the internet can be a really scary place if you don’t take steps to create barriers between you and potential scammers/hackers. I’m going to make up another statistic right now and say that 80% of internet scams take place where a person over 60 years old is the victim. Do you want that to be you? No I bet not. That’s why I’m warning you to be careful. You wouldn’t accept a random shipping box at your door with no label on it would you? Because that’s how email works.

Speaking of shipping boxes, you also need to keep your bank information secure while online shopping. That’s why I recommend you use a 3rd party service like PayPal, because then you don’t have to worry about your debit cards and credit cards floating around in random places on the internet. PayPal is a lot more secure and is made specifically to help with internet purchases. You can just link your cards and bank information to PayPal, and then they will keep your information safe while you shop online.

Stuck At Home

Well, I can officially tell you, from the bottom of my heart, that I am sick of COVID19 and all the problems that it has caused. I have been working at home since last March. Can you believe that? It has literally been over a year since I’ve worked in my office. Honestly, I was a huge fan of working at home when everything first started. It was a nice change in routine and meant I didn’t have to wake up early and take my long commute to work everyday, just to have to see some of the people that I didn’t like very much. However, now I can tell you that I miss all my coworkers and am so sick of being at home. 

I’ve come to realize that my commute to work was a nice buffering period between being at work and being at home. I would almost compare it to a permeable membrane of sorts, one that would allow my mind to adjust to the new environment that I would be headed into. Nowadays, however, I spend my time in the same exact chair at the same exact time every morning, a mere hour after I’ve woken up for the day. Again, it was nice to not have to wake up early every morning, but now I am feeling like the days are shorter and I don’t have enough time to relax in the morning.

Being at home has been a lot more taxing in other ways than just work. Obviously, I have been at home even when I’m not working too. That means that my office is now my home and my home is now my office. There is basically no separation between the two, and that can get really depressing. In addition to this, I have become so tired of online shopping. I miss being able to go out to different places and buy stuff alongside friends or families. Now everything seems so pointless. Just a couple clicks away from more shipping boxes being sent to my door - hurray…

I don’t even know how many Amazon orders I have placed since starting quarantine, but it has been a lot. Honestly, I think the amount would shock you. I have gone so far as to create a mountain of shipping boxes in my garage that are just waiting to be recycled (they probably never will be, because I am a terrible person). I guess my takeaway from this pandemic is that the grass is always greener on the other side. Or maybe, my takeaway is that a change is good from time to time, and now I’m ready for the change back to being in the office rather than at home. 

Maybe I can get real philosophical and say that grass is always greener on the other side, but only until you’ve grazed too long or laid too long, and the grass becomes stubby, brown, and matted. I guess it’s better to assume that nothing will make you happy forever, and that moderation is more important than indulgence. 

All in all, I hope that we can return back to normal life soon, because I am getting so sick of being at home and wearing a mask and all that. I will definitely get the vaccination as soon as I can.