AN INSIGHT INTO MY PREFERENCE BETWEEN ONLINE AND PHYSICAL SHOPPING 

In the twenty-first century, shopping has taken on a new shape beyond the contemporary norms we're used to in the past. The advent of technological innovation has made shopping much easier to engage with than it was in the past, thanks to the ease that comes along with shopping from the comfort of our homes. But, as we know, everything has its limitations, and so does physical and online shopping. In this article, I'll analyze their differences and the one I prefer.

Before I dive into my analysis, it's worthy of note that both physical shopping and online shopping are great, but despite their greatness, both have their lapses and aspects where they meet our needs and make life easier for us. But when I personally compare both, I realize one seems to suit my lifestyle the most and make my shopping much more pleasing.

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The physical store is the ancient method of shopping that's still in use in this day and age, and it's been a great source of getting each and every item we want, as well as granting us the access to check and cross-check items we want to buy and the possibility of comparing them with others to know which is best.

Physical shopping is the kind that happens in our neighborhood, like when you pay a visit to a local store around your vicinity, you get to feast your eyes on different items and as well have the possibility of picking the beat among what they've got in the market. Physical shopping also encourages and enhances physical interaction and brings about great communication between business owners and their customers.

Despite how amazing physical shopping is, it has its downsides, and below I'll be itemizing some of them.

• PHYSICAL STRESS: One of the downsides of physical shopping is the stress that comes from moving from one store to another to pick up the various items you needed. As we all know, one store can't really have all that we need, so that will lead to the buyer navigating from one part of the market to the other, and in the end, before you know it, you will be exhausted and drained.

• TRANSPORTATION FEE AND TRAFFIC: The possibility of getting delayed due to traffic on the road and the extra amount spent on transport to and fro are some of the down sides of physical shopping. If you experience Lagos traffic, you'll think about how you would have avoided those had you gone with online shopping instead.

• GERM AND DISEASES RISK: Going through the market brings the possibility of touching different people and things, and one of the downsides of that is that we might end up getting infected with a germ or disease that is on their people or one of the various items in the market, so one needs to be extra careful in some markets due to how unclean they are.

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Online shopping is the new age and method of shopping that's driven by technology; it's known as "e-commerce," and it's a medium of shopping that has made life and shopping easier for many, because with the help of technological advancement, now we can simply pick up our computer or smartphone and place an order for various items from the comfort of our homes.

Shopping online is like bringing the market to our doorstep, or I should just say bringing the market to our fingertips via our smart devices, and with that, there is no possibility of getting stressed out while checking for what you need because you can easily search out the items, you won't also be affected by traffic, and you won't contact germs that others who shop offline do.

But despite the enormous benefit and improvements that online shopping has brought to the world of shopping, it has some downsides, of which I'll be stating some below.

• NETWORK HINDRANCE: Imagine a situation where you already ditch shopping physical, and in the dying minutes when you decide to place your orders online and you realize there's no network on your device, that could be very bad and could lead to you being unable to purchase the items you want. In the end, you might even resort to shopping offline to meet your needs.

• LESS QUALITY THAN WHAT YOU SAW: There have been many scenarios where people place orders for stuff online based on how attractive the items look in the display picture, but when it's delivered, they end up getting less than what they wished for. Another downside is that if you fail to read the description thoroughly, you might end up getting items that are far different from what you wanted. A friend of mine once ordered a beautiful set of pots online, only for it to be delivered and she realized she ordered a dummy set of pots like kids' tools. It was a very funny scenario.

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Both online and physical shopping definitely have more advantages and disadvantages that I haven't talked about, but I believe the little above will help us understand some of their basic nitty gritty, so without taking much time, let's have a look at my preference between both.

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Speaking of my preference between online and physical shopping, as an introvert and a technology enthusiast, I would have gone for online shopping because of the convenience and ease that comes from shopping from the comfort of my room without having to interact with people before I place my orders, but;

• HUMAN INTERACTION: Despite my admiration for online shopping and the ease it brings, I still love to have a great and pleasant view of my environment and to view and enjoy human interaction alongside all the drama that plays out in a physical market setting, and this is one of the major reasons why I'll prefer it over online shopping.

• QUALITY VERIFICATION BEFORE PURCHASE: Another reason why I prefer physical shopping is the ability to easily check and confirm the qualities of the items I'm purchasing; this isn't possible online, and there are cases where you might have to return items purchased online due to poor quality, and that's an additional time that will literally delay you and make you unable to use the item as soon as you need it.

There are many other reasons why I prefer physical shopping over online shopping, but I'll be bringing an end to this article at this point, and I believe my few above-listed points are enough to make you agree with me that the importance of physical shopping can never be overemphasized, and that doesn't necessarily denigrate how great online shopping could or has been.

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That's about all for today. I hope you enjoy reading through my preferences and the nitty gritty of both. The article was inspired by the Hive Learners community, and more information about the prompt can be gotten when you read through Kronia's post.

Have a blessed and productive day ahead.