Online Christmas shopping?

RonL · Dec 8, 2003

Chris

I'm finding it harder and harder to find high quality items without going online to the specialty shops. The box stores seem to cater to customers who only shop the cheapest price. Particually with tools, I prefer the premium items. I believe its cheaper in the long run.

RonL

P.S. I am particually irked when I pay a premium price for an item that turns out to be poorly designed and built. I have an almost everwhelming urge to go to corporate headquarters and b***h slap the CEO. It's awful, but a sign of the times, when a conglomerate buys out an old time tool company that had a reputation for quality, and then starts selling crap.

DocHeb · Dec 8, 2003

( I'm finding it harder and harder to find high quality items without going online to the specialty shops. ) On-line stores do give people living in more remote areas wider access to products that are unobtainable locally. I am a bit spoiled since I live in one of the major metropolitan areas in the US, so I do have specialty stores around. However, I worry about their viability since most people shop for price only, and rarely for service. There isn't much service on-line, so don't use the local stores to provide the service without buying from them. I purchased my Delta jointer and planer on-line seven years ago, but I didn't waste the time of the saleman at Glenn Wing Power Tools before doing so.

( ... poorly designed and built. I have an almost everwhelming urge to go to corporate headquarters and b***h slap the CEO... ) Yeah, I've often dreamed of handing the CEO of General Mills or Post a box of cereal and tell him "let's see you open the bag inside this box without shredding the bag into pieces" /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Just to clarify - I've been buying stuff on-line since 1998 - I just don't believe in using local stores for display only.

rdam · Dec 8, 2003

I now do about 80% of my Christmas shopping online. With DSL, it's especially nice. However, I still make at least one trip to the mall to get the "feel" of Christmas. The sad thing is, I have to go to the MALL to get the feel of Christmas.

Oh well,

Merry Christams and Happy Holidays to the fine people on TBN and your families.

AndyM · Dec 9, 2003

( The sad thing is, I have to go to the MALL to get the feel of Christmas. )

Don't you mean the MAUL? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Most of my shopping is at Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, Sears Hardware, Tractor Supply, and a whole bunch of smaller stores. I hadn't been inside an actual indoor shopping mall for about 3 or 4 years until my wife dragged me to the mall about a month ago. Spent most of the time sitting on a bench while she was inside a store trying on clothes. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

I can't think of a single store INSIDE the mall that I would ever need to go to (not counting the food court, of course). /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif It just seems like all of the stores in the mall cater to people younger than me-- loud music in the stores and overpriced clothes I would never wear.

DocHeb · Dec 10, 2003

Something else for you on-line shoppers - check out Froogle.com (a subsection of Google.com). They use similiar search engines to find items to buy on the web ... pretty neat.

Froogle = Frugal

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Gary_in_Indiana · Dec 10, 2003

I just experienced another advantage of online shopping today. The UPS comes and usually I'm surprised by what he's bringing so it's like getting presents myself. It's also know as getting older. I figure in a few more years I'll be able to wrap my own Christmas presents. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I actually got some luggage delivered today that I'd ordered over the weekend to give to my son for Christmas. I was pretty impressed with three day delivery. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Idid have one negative experience, though. A panini maker (don't ask) that I'd ordered for my daughter came and about a quarter of the box was just soaked. The UPS driver asked me if I knew what it was and when I told him it was electrical/electronic he wouldn't even give it to me. He punched it in as damaged in shipping and said UPS would cover it as it was probably a leaky trailer of theirs. Apparently I don't even have to do anything to reorder at all. He told me UPS would handle everything. I sure hope so. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I'm still waiting on more boxes to arrive. Since I can't tell you what all I've ordered it'll be some nice surprises for me, too /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

BIGUN · Dec 10, 2003

( A panini maker (don't ask) that I'd ordered for my daughter )
Curiosity wouldn’t allow me to not check this out. I thought George Foreman was the only one selling these. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
My wife grills fresh salmon on ours and it is great.