A new kind of shopping
Posted on September 6, 2008, by soph, under It's a Girl's Life, Web Stuff.
Today, I did something I’ve never done before. Friends who’ve tried it say I’m going to be in trouble, because once you start, there’s no stopping. It’s just too accessible, too convenient and far too tempting. Today, I shopped online for the very first time.
I’ve been pretty slow to jump on the bandwagon, simply because I’ve always been a believer in touching and trying anything before buying it. Especially if it’s clothing or shoes. I want to know if it fits me well, I want to know whether it’s a good cut, I want to know if the material is comfortable… going by mere alphabets or figures is never guarantee enough, at least for me.
Then S sent us this link yesterday at work. And I couldn’t stop thinking about the shoes. I knew I was a goner when I woke up this morning and I was still thinking about whether or not to take the plunge. By then, I’d narrowed it down to maybe three choices and was tossing up between two colours per choice. Yep, I was that committed even though I wouldn’t quite admit it to myself yet.
Shoes are always tricky little buggers. If anything, they’re even more unpredictable than clothes because the margin for error is considerably less. Either it fits or it doesn’t. I can’t wear a pair of shoes that are too big for me and pretend it’s the latest trend. Or buy a pair that’s too small and then say I’ll lose weight to fit into it. They just don’t work that way.
But today, I was feeling extra adventurous (read: impulsive). I’d just thrown out three pairs of really old shoes that were falling apart on me and I was in mourning mode. Some extra-girly part of my brain reasoned that if I throw out three pairs of shoes but only buy two, I would still be keeping with my motto of reducing my material possessions.
Plus - and this was probably the clincher - I’d spotted something that I’ve been wanting for a while now but can’t quite seem to find. Okay, to be fair, I haven’t really been looking that hard. I saw a pair in Zara that was RM130 after discount and I simply could not justify buying it. And I’ve been too occupied with other pursuits to actually go shopping properly. Besides, I told myself, it would probably cost the same or more if I went out and found something similar.
I left the window open all day on my computer while I mulled over it some more. To buy or not to buy? Then, at around 5pm, in a fit of decisiveness probably partly induced by the euphoria that came with finally getting a rare chance to pause and breathe, I cleared my fuzzy, overdriven mind and decided I deserved the shoes.
S was right - it was so easy. I read the instructions, measured my feet to be doubly sure of my size, consulted S the online shopping expert to be triply sure I was getting the right ones, made my decisions, filled out the form, quadruple-checked everything, and clicked ‘Send’.
A couple of hours later, I got the email confirming my order and requesting payment. I paid. Now to wait 2-4 weeks for my shoes to arrive. I’m half nervous and totally excited. I haven’t told Y yet and I don’t think he reads my blog.
Oops. He just came into the room and saw the title of this post. He wants to know what kind of shopping I’m talking about. Double oops. But he’s left to rejoin the boys downstairs.
After I paid for my orders, I decided to test the theory of ‘once I start there’s no stopping’ by visiting another online shopping website. Shoes must really be my weakness; I scrolled through everything on the main page and didn’t want to buy a thing. Phew!
