Assignment #1: Shopping Carts?

Ever since online shopping has become popular, there has been this controversy between physical and digital stores.

Although some may disagree, I think that physical stores will not be going out of style any time soon. Reasons for this are that you can't try clothes on online, neither can you try on shoes or jewelry or glasses or any other pieces of apparel or accessories. People like seeing how they look and knowing they look okay before they leave a store with a purchase in hand. it's hard to do this online, even if you upload a picture of yourself, the result is never the same. Another reason is that I don't think many people would be comfortable buying food online. If we are talking about physical stores, we mean all physical stores, right? I would not be comfortable purchasing my groceries via the internet. The thought of possibly not knowing where the food is coming from or being lied to about the place is slightly unsettling. Also, for both of these reasons, there are shipping fees and extra taxes on some items that you buy online. Everything just seems a lot simpler when you can actually walk into a store and see the merchandise in person and not on a screen.

There are reasons people enjoy shopping online though, and those reasons are many. One could be how seemingly easy it is. You don't have to leave the house and you don't have to go to a bank, sometimes you don't even have to use a credit card depending on how you are choosing to send the money. It's effortless, and your purchases just arrive at your front door or in the mail, which is another reason why people may enjoy online shopping more. You never have to leave the house. You buy the merchandise online, and it arrives at your door in a few days. No clean clothes or gas required.

If I had to choose which one I would use all the time, it would probably be physical shopping and actual buildings that are the stores. I like being able to browse among shelves and racks and walk through isles, not scrolling on a screen. Call me old fashioned,but that appeals more to me. I only shop online when the store that I want to shop at is far away, or the object that I want to buy is not available anywhere else.

In the near but distant future, like 2050, I think it will still be similar to how things are today, with a balance of both online and physical stores. There is no way that physical stores will become a thing of the past and just cease to exist. There are people who still prefer physical stores over online ones, and because of that, I can't see how we could just put everything online and stop using them.

Canada Post has started sending less letters after the development of email, and now they are sending more packages and shipping products from online stores. I think this is a very smart business plan change, because a lot of people have been doing more of their shopping online and need a way to receive their packages. Being the one who sends them their products is a way to ensure business.

When something is wrong with your product or you are not happy with it, it is much easier to return it to a physical store. If online stores wanted to attract more customers, they could create some ways to make it easier to send items back. One way would be to send a receipt and a return address with the package, so the customer can easily send the item back if they are not happy with their purchase.