The pound of turmeric root in my house is evidence of the problem with distraction. Online shopping may be convenient and provide safety in moments of high viral transmission but before you determine it’s a great time saver because you can do it while paying attention to something else, you may want to think again.
In fact, I’m tired of delivery services flashing the number of hours I supposedly saved by shopping online. I may not have spent time driving to and from the store, but locating items, reading ingredients, comparing prices, and carefully examining each piece of an item’s description takes time. Lots of time.
Over and over, I become aware that either I didn’t spend enough time or was clearly distracted when shopping. I end up with one carrot when I wanted a pound and a pound of turmeric when I needed one root. I pay $13 for a tiny piece of steak or a pork tenderloin so tiny a large pork chop would eclipse it. I’ve peered into the grocery bag to find 2 cookies instead of the bag I thought I ordered.
And it doesn’t stop with food. I’ve gotten dinosaurs as small as my thumb and puzzles the size of a coaster. Is it my fault? Yes! I’m distracted. I’m multitasking. Or I’m weary from repeated searches, so I watch TV while I shop.
Allowing myself to be distracted is my fault. It’s also true that photos sometimes make an item appear larger or smaller than it is. If I add the time it takes to read the fine print, I’m not sure I can say online shopping saves time at all. That’s okay. Saving time is not my primary motivation for shopping online.
While it may not be perfect, I see subscription options and online shopping as my major mode of purchase from now on. It had become my primary method of shopping prior to 2020.
Now there’s even more incentive:
- My shopping cart can double as a shopping list.
- Searches for a particular product can lead to learning about things I never imagined I’d need.
- I can buy from stores that will never have a physical location near me.
- I can take advantage of subscription services for regular items.
- I can leave dressing rooms behind.
- I can often shop direct from a brand website without the need for a distributor.
- The weather doesn’t affect my ability to shop.
- I don’t have to wrestle kids into the car when I have my grandchildren.
- I can shop 24/7 from stores that are only open 9 – 5.
- I can reduce impulse purchases by leaving items in a cart overnight.
- I’m more likely to have a source for items when there are shortages.
- There’s no hunting for parking.
- And in my increasingly dangerous city (ranked in the top 10 in the US), I have more options to increase safety.
So even though I’ve had a few failures, I’m still a fan of online shopping. I simply have to learn to keep my eye on the prize or end up with odd recipes and multiple returns. That’s the problem with distraction when shopping online.