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there's no local book stores (closest Barnes & Noble is about 1 1/2 hrs drive) and there's 2 authors I don't wait for paperbacks or the library to get. Those I get on-line. That's about it. oh-some needlework stuff. Closest store is only an hr away but it's only open Wed, Thurs and Fri, when I have to work.
But I've definately switched the majority of my shopping over to the internet over the past 4 years. I still do brick and morter stores, but only when I feel like going out for something.
The substantial majority of items an individual purchases are cheap items (often a buck or two) that you purchase at the supermarket or Walmart. Please explain how you purchase this online.
Following up on my comment about Amazon Prime. I am using their trial membership, which will expire at the end of the month. Still trying to decide if the $79 membership fee will be worth it. I'd like to hear from more of you if you find this service a good deal.
Have you found yourself ordering more online (through Amazon) because you have Prime? With rising gas prices, I am more careful about driving to the store for one or two items. Wondering if this fee would justify the convenience of 1) not having to drive, 2) ability to order one or two items without added shipping fees.
I just haven't decided if this expense is really worth it? Convince me one way or the other. I'm all ears ... or rather all eyes.
Following up on my comment about Amazon Prime. I am using their trial membership, which will expire at the end of the month. Still trying to decide if the $79 membership fee will be worth it. I'd like to hear from more of you if you find this service a good deal.
Have you found yourself ordering more online (through Amazon) because you have Prime? With rising gas prices, I am more careful about driving to the store for one or two items. Wondering if this fee would justify the convenience of 1) not having to drive, 2) ability to order one or two items without added shipping fees.
I just haven't decided if this expense is really worth it? Convince me one way or the other. I'm all ears ... or rather all eyes.
I may have answered my own question. Amazon Prime offers (some) free movies and TV shows through Amazon if you have an account. Seems as though that annual $79 fee for Amazon Pprime is a pretty good deal, after all. Free two-day shipping on any amount AND free movies and TV shows through Amazon instant video??? Good deal, if you ask me.
I do most of my buying online because the things I'm looking for simply are not available here. There are local stores, including the world's smallest WalMart, but they never have what I need. Since I can't drive, either I find someone to drive me to another town 25-35 miles away, or I order online. I use ebay a lot and have for years - you do have to take shipping into consideration, but a lot of the smaller things ship free. And I'd much rather pay 2.95 for a new cell phone battery than go 90 miles to the nearest authorized store and pay 39.95 for the exact same thing. On ebay, you can also specify "US only" if you want. I bought my first computer online from Egghead, which Amazon took over. There are a lot of ebay stores that have great prices on all kinds of things, every so often they'll put up a refurbished new whatever on an auction for .99, and if you're lucky, you can win it. Paying .99 for a new item with 12.00 shipping beats paying 45.00 for an identical one in a store. I buy a lot of ebooks on Amazon, plus get free ones. I do buy some things locally, milk, produce, pet food. But if I want oriental food, I have to order it online, no one here sells it.
And I really like having things delivered to my door. If I go to the store, there's only one in walking distance, and it's still nearly a 2 mile round trip.
I use Amazon all the time for everything. It's a good compromise in price, shipping convenience, and product availability. It saves me time. I do most of my shopping on the train ride to work. If only they could sell all grocery products... Then I'd be set.
Following up on my comment about Amazon Prime. I am using their trial membership, which will expire at the end of the month. Still trying to decide if the $79 membership fee will be worth it. I'd like to hear from more of you if you find this service a good deal.
Have you found yourself ordering more online (through Amazon) because you have Prime? With rising gas prices, I am more careful about driving to the store for one or two items. Wondering if this fee would justify the convenience of 1) not having to drive, 2) ability to order one or two items without added shipping fees.
I just haven't decided if this expense is really worth it? Convince me one way or the other. I'm all ears ... or rather all eyes.
I also signed up for the Amazon Prime trial. I've used it for the past 3 weeks and will be signing up after the trial ends. Having the 2 day shipping is worth it to me. I will be saving gas by shopping at home. I can shop Amazon anytime day or night. If I really need something right away I can opt for the $3.99 next day shipping. I've been using Amazon since 1999 and I have been very happy with them. There aren't very many items I haven't been able to find there either.
I consider myself to be frugal and I do a lot of shopping online. Here's one tip that I've discovered from personal experience: the first time you buy something from an online retailer you're usually offered, in very short time, a discount to come back and often free shipping, too. So make your first purchase something small and inexpensive. They will come back with enticements to get additional business from you, usually within a week. You can then use those discounts for more substantial purchases.
Things I buy online regularly?
Drugstore items from drugstore.com. They have almost everything you can imagine and better prices than my local Walgreens or CVS. Once you make a purchase, they come back to you via E-mail with discounts such as free shipping on orders over $25, percentage discounts on total orders, coupons on specific products, etc. If you buy a lot of vitamins or supplements, it's much easier to compare prices online than in a store since you are constantly comparing apples to oranges (# in bottle, dosages, etc.) Drugstore.com also has a large selection of green products like Mrs. Meyer's, and even expensive make-up and toiletries are often discounted.
I buy books online (at least the ones I can't get from Paperback Swap, which is always my initial online look-see). I have a membership from Borders.com that entitles me to free shipping on all orders. Plus they send me coupons for up to 40% off on single items. The other day, I pre-ordered a new novel by one of my mother's favorite authors to give her for Mother's Day. The pre-order price was $10 less than the retail price, I got an additional 5% off via my membership card, and it was delivered to my doorstep for charge once it was published. I paid $5 less than I would have at Costco.
Another online place I've scored some really good deals: Overstock.com. If I need anything for my home or office, gifts, even shoes, I check that site first. Prices are excellent and no matter what you buy the shipping cost is $2.95 (and after you buy from them, they'll be E-mailing you with offers of free shipping and additional percentage-off coupons. I got a perfect, top-quality chandelier for my dining room for $36 and beautiful drapery panels for my living room windows (which everyone thinks are silk) for $67. A few weeks ago I bought a pair of Ecco shoes for $30 less than they were selling for at Zappos. I even ordered tile for a bathroom floor and only paid $2.95 to have a box I couldn't even lift shipped to my front door.
The one downside to shopping this way is you receive a ton of E-mail. But I have a tip for that, too. I do all my correspondence with any online company I purchase from under a special E-mail address reserved for shopping. I can check the E-mail box, file receipts and shipping info I may want to keep, and delete without even opening sales pitches from companies I know I won't be buying from in the near future. It keeps my personal and business E-mail boxes from getting clogged up with ads and offers.
I buy almost all my clothing online. For one thing, I am a tall woman, and there are no stores that sell clothes for us. There are a few rare stores where I can buy pants that come in tall, but nothing else. I work in an office, so I need blouses and jackets with long-enough sleeves and waistlines that aren't up around my chest, and they are simply not available anywhere in a brick-and-mortar store, not even in New York City, where I work.
I monitor the sites of the places that do sell tall women's clothing and wait for sales for free-shipping promotions. I don't buy anything unless it is on sale and/or is offering free shipping.
Back some yrs ago, Yankee Candle (online) used to have some great opportunities. 1st they offer the Buy 1, Get One Free sale, plus they would offer the "free shipping on orders over $100". So, I would go into stockpile mode and order multi-hundreds dollars worth of candles, all at the same time. One time I had over $500 worth of candles stockpiled.
Haven't purchased candles in years. Still sitting on my last tidbit reserves from years ago. I'm certain many other online stores offer similar savings opportunities.
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