🛒 Where Do YOU shop & why? (Online/Real Life)

[mtetar]

You’re certainly most welcome Nicole!

Thank you for responding,

Mtetar

[Winter2025VA]

WE all have OUR reasons for where we shop and why.

Stop by and tell us about YOUR shopping!

[Winter2025VA]

1 comment (9/16/23)

Hi @mtetar , you did it right and thanks for stopping by!

Nicole

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✏@mtetar wrote:

Hi Nicole,

I was just browsing on AARP and came across where do you shop and why? Very interesting conversation/communication going on. 

I’m not sure how to join in and hope I’m doing it right. I do shop online more these days, and at bargain and thrift stores in my area and near by areas. 

Have a safe and great weekend,

mtetar✏

[mtetar]

You’re certainly most welcome Nicole!

Thank you for responding,

Mtetar

[mtetar]

Hi Nicole,

I was just browsing on AARP and came across where do you shop and why? Very interesting conversation/communication going on. 

I’m not sure how to join in and hope I’m doing it right. I do shop online more these days, and at bargain and thrift stores in my area and near by areas. 

Have a safe and great weekend,

mtetar

[Winter2025VA]

4 comments (9/6/23)

I never use the services that pick out your items for you. I like to SEE what is there and then decide. Also, IF it is FOOD, expiration dates and condition of packaging is important for me. I also like to CHOOSE my own "alternative" IF my 1st choice is NOT available.

CHEAP/EVERYTHING IN ONE LOCATION: At the moment, subject to change , I do ONLY Walmart. And the Super Center.

Have NOT shopped for clothes in years, but when I do, it may be Walmart or Burlington Coat Factory.

I DO ONLINE, CANNOT DEAL WITH STORE: Home Depot for household fixing projects.

ALWAYS A PUMP FREE: Sheetz is my preferred spot to get gas for car. Not into the "perks" - I just pull in when my tank is 1/2 full and use 87 grade. I fill her up. (2006 Hyundai Elantra) Lol, hoping gas is still around in my lifetime - NOT interested in any electric vehicle.

I NO LONGER eat out as lots of the places I liked over the years are no more.

Every so often I will order from Amazon. Usually when I NEED an item ONLY they have. NOT a fan of "online" anything. Too many chances to have my debit card info stolen.

Nicole

[Tempest332]

Miss the 24 Hour Brick & Mortar stores as I work later hours.  Pretty much only go to Aldi's & Meijers.  Home Depot seems that you can't find help in that store even to write up an order.  Agree with the below comment on Wal*Mart, the Super Center has gotten "chaotic", there is much shoplifting & crime in the past few years, prefer the smaller Wal*Mart.  

[Cadee2719]

During COVID and while my husband was in Hospice Care at home, I did order ALL food deliveries on line to be delivered to my home.  I found that the stores varied in service.  I ended up with one that did a good job in shipping the exact items I ordered, but it charged a high delivery fee.  If they made a mistake (rarely) they were quick to correct it.   I now go to a Trader Joes in another town to shop for food, being that my area is no longer safe.  I rarely go out to eat as most of the restaurants have either closed or now charge exorbitant prices for food that I can prepare at home.  I have discovered Amazon and do purchase many items from them.  I drive only when necessary and seldom fill up my gas tank ($5.54 a gallon).  I, too, am not interested in electric cars; my neighbor just got one and spends most of her time in the middle of the street trying to figure out how to make it work!    I recently went to Burlington Coat Factory and purchased four beautiful blouses.  I had not been to that store for years.  I seldom shop for clothes as I have many that I never ever wore due to the fact that I was confined to my home during Covid and caring for my husband.   Our local Walmart is well organized, clean and has employees that are very helpful.  I guess they vary by area.  Years ago while obtaining my Masters, one of the questions was:  Would we ever rely on virtual jobs, education and shopping sites and my response was:  We would always need the human interaction for these tasks to be accomplished.  BOY WAS I WRONG!!!!!!!  I think brick and mortar stores are becoming a thing of the past, aren't they?

[nctarheel]

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@Cadee2719 wrote:

Years ago while obtaining my Masters, one of the questions was:  Would we ever rely on virtual jobs, education and shopping sites and my response was:  We would always need the human interaction for these tasks to be accomplished.  BOY WAS I WRONG!!!!!!!  I think brick and mortar stores are becoming a thing of the past, aren't they?

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@Cadee2719,

I, too, believe that brick and mortar stores will become a thing of the past for a multitude of reasons.

(1) Safety- The malls are exponentially less safe than they were only a few years ago.

(2) Employee Ineptitude- Due to the demands on the labor pool, those that work in brick and mortar stores generally are less intelligent and less experienced than folks that served in those positions in the past.

(3) Brick and mortar locations are being abandoned with more regularity as rents increase in an aggressive growth curve.

(4) The cost of fuel to get to brick and mortar locations is getting cost prohibitive. Personal fuel costs for ordering on-line is near zero.

Many factors, not yet determined, will also figure into the demise of brick and mortar stores.

If you own investments in REITS or other owners of retail space, I would consider placing those investments elsewhere. I don't see a bright future for mall owners.

[nctarheel]

I find myself to be totally the opposite in shopping habits from @Winter2025VA.

I find the local Walmart locations to be filthy, have employees that pay no attention to the customer, and the general condition of their stores to be chaotic.

Long ago, I nixed Burlington Coat Factory as a shopping destination due to its spurious sales practices, and lack of quality merchandise.

I no longer use Home Depot for anything as I had an unfortunate experience with purchasing a dishwasher through them that involved three different installation crews screwing up the installation of said dishwasher. The inability to complete an installation correctly resulted in my recouping hundreds of dollars of the cost of the dishwasher. By the time it was installed satisfactorily, I had realized over $500 in rebates, gift cards from the manufacturer, and direct refund checks from the store because of this individual issue.

I regularly eat out, using a coupon book that is popular in this area, in order to save money. If restaurants have loyalty programs, I use them for savings. Some restaurants let you double dip, using a loyalty program and coupons.

As far as gas, through two of our local grocers, I can regularly purchase gasoline gift cards at a 20% discount($40 for a $50 card). In addition, one of our grocers, in conjunction with BP, has a points system where you earn points for the dollars you spend at the grocery store. These points reduce your price per gallon, at the pump, by up to a dollar. So, if gas is $3.00/gallon, I get it for $2.00/gallon, and pay for it with a gift card I bought for 20% off, thereby making my cost be $1.60/gallon.