Thumbs down to online shopping

There is something called intuition, a gut feeling which is possible only when you shop physically. 
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

From battle ships to diapers, people seem to be buying everything online nowadays. Those who don’t shop online are people who don’t deserve to inhabit this ‘smart way to shop’ planet. And this was before the pandemic made online shopping a necessity.

Prior to the pandemic, the ones who didn’t shop online shopped at super malls and hyper malls. Offers and more offers were permanently available and some defied logic. You purchased one item and got five of the same free.

Yet there are some like me who still stick on to the “no online shopping” club with a passion that makes the believers ask, ‘Why’?

First, shopping cannot just be a chore; it has to be an experience, the first-hand human interaction with the person on the other side, watching his facial expressions, often helps you make an intelligent if not informed decision. There is something called intuition, a gut feeling which is possible only when you shop physically. And many a time, this sixth sense helps you make amazing choices. How can you put your sixth sense to work when you have an inanimate computer screen staring at you, regardless of the 3D and maybe 4D experiences it purports to offer?

And it is not as if online shopping is hassle-free. It makes you dependent on the delivery boy. You have to be available at home when he arrives with your parcel. And despite all the logistics hullabaloo, the rule of the thumb is that he will knock at your door only when you are not there. In physical shopping, you are your own master. Lift your bag and trot out at your convenience.

And what about the family time that goes into shopping? We talk of spending quality time with our family. And what a simpler way of having family time than going shopping? The bonus of an ice-cream and occasional dinner makes the outing worth savouring. Will a dinner in front of the computer be as enjoyable?

And have you pondered and thought about what will happen to all the shops that lined your street since your childhood? The kirana store where you learnt your first maths lessons by counting the change, the cloth shop where you first understood what fashion was, and the vegetable vendor who taught you the fine art of bargaining which translated into negotiation skills later on in management college? If you noticed, most of them have shut down, leaving their owners with a bleak future.

Supporters of online buying will say that business models change and if something or someone becomes outdated in this change process, well that’s how it is. And when consumer is king, who serves him better and in a cheaper way is the ruler of the market. And yet, isn’t it a part of these rulers corporate social responsibility to absorb the less fortunate ones into their chain? And yes to all our environmental buffs, have you thought of the amount of waste being generated thanks to the layers of packing which go into your online delivery parcel? The humble vegetable vendor is penalised for offering his customer a plastic bag, but what about the online shopping corporate giants who are merrily generating tonnes of waste every day in the name of convenience to the customer?

And in the meantime, diehard fanatics like me will continue to scour the streets, away from the comfort zone of our living rooms, searching for good bargains and learning a lot of life skills in the process.

sivaramsharada@yahoo.com