5 Reasons Why I Love Shopping Brick & Mortar

Often, returning an item you bought online is not made the easiest thing. I wonder if there's a secret (or not so) speculation that many people will just opt for keeping something they don't really like or that doesn't really fit out of sheer lazyness or inconvinience. I know I've done it. This is especially so if there's also a hefty return shipping cost attached to it. The latter being something that often deters me from buying online in the first place.

I can try the piece on there and then. Watch myself in the mirror, no matter how illusionary. More importantly, I can "feel" the garment. I can actually feel its fit. Sometimes the most beautiful thing on the rack will leave you feeling "hellz to the no" because it's just too snug, loose, short or long in all the wrong and unforeseen places. And whilst I consider myself to be fashion concious, I also am most certainly comfort concious. In the same vain as above point about feeling the fit, I can feel the material. Some materials make me (and maybe you) feel like a whole ant colony just decided your body is the shortest route back to the hive. Or make your hair stand on edge (you know, that really cheap polyester?). I actually had it happen that a top made my hair stand up before I even tried it on. Needless to say, I didn't bother. Now, had I bought that online, maybe from a very far away country for not so much money... I let you draw the conclusion.

Well somewhat. In a way. I mean, I am still going shopping, but since I almost always pay cash instead of using my credit card (which I really only have for online transactions & Paypal) or the ATM, I can only spend what I physically have with me. And having only a certain amount of money with me forces me to be very concious about what I purchase instead of having the imagined unlimited supply via the "swoosh" of a card. Also see the reason above.

Admittedly, I am a bit introverted. Okay, maybe a lot. And Kevin, I like being Home Alone. Where I also work. So going shopping is a fun way for me to get out of the house. However, never on Saturdays or Sundays when everyone else goes. Crowded malls & shops make me grumpy, especially when I feel like tidying up the mess other customers leave on the racks. And even if I don't buy a thing, I enjoy browsing real shops and discover what is new. There's just something appealing in seeing wares displayed and stacked in a certain way instead of 2D pictures neatly (or not so) spaced on a webpage.

Not in the shops of the large retail chains, but in some shops, especially smaller boutiques and then price wise upwards, they will sort of pamper you with excellent service, if you so wish. For example, at my favorite local Max&Co Shop, they will always be ready to hand you a pair of heels to try on with the garment if you shop in flats, or provide styling suggestions or help you create a complete look to see a piece in context. Now of course they are doing this to sell and sell hopefully more than you intended to buy, but just for a moment you can feel like Pretty Woman when she went shopping after the first snob encounter.