The Truth About Online Shopping

Shopping has become one of the frequent activities of modern man. Shopping centers and shopping malls are almost everywhere especially in big cities. In smaller towns, stores provide the consumer needs of every people in the community.

Yet with modern age and with the advent of computers and the internet, online shopping has also emerged. In the US alone, it is estimated that about one-third of the total sales from stores basically come from online shopping alone! That would mean billions of US dollars worth of goods and services are being transacted through the internet alone as of this writing (2005). Wow!

Here are three of the reasons why people simply shop online?

1. Convenience - simply by visiting an online store through the internet, shoppers can simply shop at home. NO need to worry about traffic,crowds, or the bad weather.

2. Ease - nothing to worry about bringing home so much stuff. The goods are simply delivered right through your house door.

3. Goods can be ordered from other places - sometimes, a particular product cannot be found in the local stores where the buyer resides. A buyer from New York can easily buy products that are commonly found in California without the hassle and much expense of travel.

Among one of the common online transactions done in the US are online hotel reservations for cheap hotels and cheap motels. These are especially true during the peak seasons or on holidays. Example, if a traveller from Hawaii plans to travel to Las Vegas on a long weekend, his best option would be make an advance hotel reservations online by shopping through the internet.

However, despite the advantages of online shopping, it also carries with it some concerns for the consumer. Just like when shopping in a store, there are also risks involved. One of the risks include the issues of fraud, scams and identity theft. Because of these, governments and other concerned private entities are making a lot of concerted efforts to make online shopping a safer place for consumers.

Even if you think too negative about the internet, it is highly recommended that you learn some safety measures too. One tip for consumers is never to give sensitive information about you from unsolicited emails. If you receive emails asking you to resubmit your data such as your social security number, your password, your username, your bank accounts -- think twice and do some further inquiry. If still in doubt, better don't.

If you are familiar with Costco, it requires membership before they would allow buyers to enter their stores. Bargain hunters also take a lot of advantage for internet promos. Online store memberships are also available from other online stores. One example is www.payjusthalf.com which gives wholesale rates for their products. To be able to avail of the wholesale rates, a consumer has to register with their site and enter an online code. As a tip for our readers, you can enter this code: LC9834-A1-001. Isn't that cool?

Ready to shop? Well, happy shopping!
About the Author

VMT Singuillo is a freelance writer and has written articles for www.grandfatherclock.biz, www.nativeamericanindians.net, www.cheaphotelsforyou.com, and more.

Written by: VMT Singuillo