With the introduction of Cyber Monday and the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person holiday shopping has decreased. According to an article from CNN, in 2023, $9.8 billion was spent on Black Friday compared to $12.4 billion during Cyber Monday. This is down from the numbers during 2020 when shoppers spent $14.13 billion online, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However a few years earlier in 2018, only $9.9 billion was spent in online sales.
With the increasing numbers of online sales also comes the decrease of in person sales. This decrease makes me fear for a lot of small businesses who rely on foot traffic in stores because they may not have websites for their customers to purchase from.
When weighing the pros and cons of shopping online versus in-person, I find more pros of shopping in-person.
Shopping in person allows for customers to be more careful of what they are purchasing. The quality of items can be examined along with ensuring a clothing item is the right size. Shoppers can browse a wide range of items, while also having the ability to see them in person. I find it more reliable to purchase the item you need in person.
Returns are also common after the holidays. It is easier to return something purchased in a store rather than scrambling to figure out how to ship an item back to its sender. This is one of many cons to shopping online.
If websites have too many requests for their bandwidth to handle, sites will crash. When shopping online during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, there is always a chance of websites crashing, causing you to not get the product you have been looking for.
There is always a chance items will sell out in stores due to limited stock. However, items can also sell out fast online because of the millions of people who may be looking for that one specific item.
There is also a chance that the items you order online will not arrive by the holiday. The influx in shipments can cause packages to get lost or just take a long time to arrive. An article from CBS in 2020 estimated that over 1 million packages would not arrive at their destination in time for the holiday. So, if the product you are looking for is available in person, I believe that is the better option to avoid this chance.
Also, you have added fees for shipping and handling when shopping online. As a result, you will likely end up paying more for your products.
Not only does online shopping have risks, but I also believe it can change one’s feelings in regard to the holiday season as a whole.
There are so many iconic holiday shopping scenes throughout film and television media such as “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” “Elf,” and “Jingle all the Way.” These all show the stressful reality of holiday shopping, but also how this stress creates memories.
The holiday season is all about spending time with your loved ones. Going shopping together is one of the biggest ways to do that. It is exciting to walk around stores, looking at holiday displays and listening to holiday music alongside the people you care about.
Even though the task of gift buying is stressful, it creates a bond of memories I will never forget. For me, the hectic holiday shopping adds to the experience of the season because I will create memories that will last a lifetime.
I will never forget shopping for my mom’s gifts on Christmas Eve with my dad. We point to silly items and joke how my mom would react if we got them for her. Then, we end up standing in the slipper aisle of Boscovs for 20 minutes, deciding which pair my mom would like most. Once we give the gift to my mom the next morning, we have stories to tell her that she will appreciate more than the gift itself.
Online shopping makes this feeling less special because you do not get to spend this time with your loved ones. Even though there can be a plus to online shopping because you are able to spend more time with your family at home. I still believe going out and experiencing something with your loved ones is so crucial to the feeling of the holidays.