Annoying things only online shoppers truly understand
Oh, online shopping. What would we do without you? How else would we waste away the hours at work? What would we do after a night out if not make regrettable purchases? Where else would we possibly click to get all six seasons of Sex and the City, a new pair of sweatpants, and the perfect boots for fall without even leaving our bed? E-shopping’s been around for a while — since 1994 in case you were wondering. With over a quarter of young people buying the majority of their clothes online, it’s become a pretty integral part of our lives. But like most things that seem too good to be true., online shopping is no exception — it’s definitely still got a few glitches.
Some of these drawbacks can make us really mad — like throwing-my-laptop-out-the-window mad. But you know what they say: a problem shared is a problem halved. So here goes with the five perils of online shopping. (Feel free to nod along in frustration.)
1. The sheer amount of stuff
You know the drill. You go online looking for one simple thing —perhaps a dress for a special occasion or even something mundane like a toothbrush— and end up getting majorly distracted. Four hours later, you’ve ordered pizza to fuel your online shopping spree and have a virtual bag brimming with goodies that cost more than your rent. And you know that something’s gotta go. A lot of somethings. But it’s so hard when you’ve set your heart on a faux fur blanket, a sparkly top you’ll probably never wear, and a phone case that’s the equivalent price of a pair of (nice) shoes. You could always buy everything. Like, technically you could. But then you’ll spend the next week dreaming about how you could have almost paid for a vacation in Hawaii with that amount of cash. Priorities, Shmiorities.
2. So many size guides
Hello, retailers? Can someone please come up with universal sizing? Being three different sizes in jeans according to three different stores really isn’t helpful (and it’s just kind of ridiculous when you think about it) when you’re buying from somewhere new. We’re trying to give you money here, e-stores. Do us a favor, too.
3. When the promo code just won’t work
Did you get all excited about a 25% off code? Did you rush to enter that bad boy in before the 24 hour deadline was up and were you instead met with the red error message of death: “Your promo code is invalid”? You probably wanted to yell, NO IT ISN’T. YOU ONLY JUST EMAILED IT TO ME but websites don’t have ears or souls, so we’re just doomed if this happens. No amount of stubbornness (“I refuse to pay the extra five dollars!”) will help. We end up caving because how can we really go without our purchases, discounted or not? We can’t. It’s impossible. You win that one, e-tailers.
4. You call this next day delivery?
ASOS recently experienced backlash concerning the time it takes for customer orders to ship (FOREVER), but they’re not the only ones guilty of this. If I’ve asked (and paid, MIND YOU) for next day delivery, I want next day delivery. The day after next day just doesn’t cut it. Another annoying thing about deliveries is when the delivery person knocks on your door at 7am on a Saturday morning. Or noon on a Monday. Like what humans are functioning or at home at those hours?
5. Good old disappointment
You finally receive the package and rip it open only to find it looks nothing like the picture. Whether it’s the color or the fact you look nothing like the model in it (we still think we’ll be their doppelganger, don’t we?), you’ve then got to face starting the whole process over again. Not to mention the returns. Don’t even get me started on returns.
Lauren Sharkey is a freelance writer that can usually be found blabbing on about fashion or in the midst of packages from her online shopping addiction. You can find her tweeting @laurensharkey_ and writing lots more stuff here.
Images via, Giphy
