Why I’m Going To Shop Online This Christmas

Is anything ever worth the wait?

We live in a society of individuals who do not like to wait. You only have to look at advertising to know that. We want it and we want it now. We want to buy now and pay later. We don’t want to wait until Christmas to have it .We might as well start using it now if we’ve got it. Let’s face it. Delayed gratification is a lost art.

There is a theory that delaying gratification increases the intensity of pleasure on receiving it. Having just started work in customer service, I like to assure people that it will be worth the wait. And I believe it. Take Luxury Gift Wrap for example. I usually buy bargain wrapping paper to wrap the enormous boxes that little children love to rip open at Christmas. But as the children get bigger, the parcels get smaller and this year, I was seduced by the Luxury Gift Wrap. Along with a significant proportion of the nation, so it seems. I couldn’t wait to see it and touch it, but now I know it’s in great demand, I want it even more. This must-have Christmas item for ethical shoppers has people all over the country waiting in eager anticipation. Wrapping Christmas presents has never felt so desirable.

That’s why internet shopping is like Marmite – you either love it or hate it. Some prefer to physically go to a shop, pick up an item, pay for it, leave with it in their hand. For others, internet shopping is a godsend – those physically unable to make it to the shops, those with young children who find going shopping a nightmare, most of the male race who can’t stand shopping, those who find fighting their way through the Christmas crowds painful rather than pleasurable…….

And let’s not forget, there is plenty of waiting to be endured in a trip to the shopping centre. The dress is not the right size or colour – “we could order it in for you, madam“. Then there’s the queue edging slowly towards the till to pay, and by the time it’s your turn, you’ve picked up a magazine, a bar of chocolate and a packet of batteries you didn’t really need or want. And does this sound familiar? Waiting somewhat anxiously for the credit card machine to authorise payment; leaving the queue in the café after five minutes of not moving forward and convincing yourself you really didn’t need a coffee after all; crawling interminably towards the exit of the multi-storey car park; shuffling forward in the line of tired bodies all waiting to board the already full bus laden with heavy plastic bags with handles cutting off the circulation in their fingers. And consider the journey home – exhausted, irritable, despairing of the unmoving queue of traffic ahead….any pleasure in your purchases is long gone.

I am not a fan of shopping as you may have gathered. I feel like the local shopping centre is full of Harry Potter style dementors, sucking the life out of me as I try to choose, pay and leave as quickly as possible. For me, what could be better than a parcel of treasures delivered to the front door? Why would anyone choose to try on any item of clothing in a cupboard sized changing room which is either too hot or too cold when you can try it on in the comfort of your own home with all your matching clothes and accessories to try on with it? What could be better than pulling on that new pair of slipper boots as soon as they arrive rather than having to endure the journey home with them burning a hole in the bag? What could be more exciting than unwrapping a gift from its packaging to find that it exceeds all expectations?

I am a fan of internet shopping. You know what you want; you buy what you want without succumbing to the attractive displays and clever sales techniques which result in leaving a shop with a bag of impulse purchases that you have no idea what to do with. Yes, it has its disadvantages. Yes, an item is sometimes out of stock, the wrong item sent, the item of clothing doesn’t fit properly…. But more often than not, the delivery is worth the wait. My feet are not sore, my head is not aching, the muscles in my neck are not twitching. I can sit on my bed and slowly take each item out of its packaging. When it goes right, it’s a great feeling – why would I want to deprive myself of that?

So if you’ve received an item that was worth the wait, why not tell us about it? Share the joy. We’d love to hear from you.