Short Story

Confessions Of An Online Shopper

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Written in response to John Holton’s
This Week’s Writer’s Workshop Prompts,
based on the prompt word “shopping”. Here’s my story.

When I was pregnant with my first baby, I really packed on the pounds. The baby was due mid-December and by the end of September, I was huge. Since my husband is an identical twin, I hoped I was carrying two but that wasn’t the case; I was just big and doing anything required great effort …. especially shopping. Knowing I would be even bigger by December, I decided to start shopping for Christmas in October. After my first outing, I was so exhausted and my ankles were terribly swollen; I couldn’t bring myself to go out again. That’s when my love affair with online shopping began.

That was the first year I had all my Christmas shopping done by the end of October and everything wrapped before Thanksgiving …. and it’s been that way ever since!

I am not a last minute person; I’m never late and I don’t like to be rushed. Also, I can’t stand searching for a parking spot, trying to maneuver crowded stores or waiting in long lines; online shopping was my salvation.

Amazon wasn’t around back then so I did a good deal of catalog shopping. Now, probably 98% of my shopping is done online through Amazon …. gifts, household and office products, toiletries, healthcare and personal products, clothes, shoes, toys, some food items, even gift cards …. the list is endless. Some gift cards can only be purchased on the particular store’s website but that’s still easy peasy online shopping. I start out by making a list of gifts to buy, then spend a couple of days getting up-close-and-personal with Amazon.

One of my best ideas was to convert our old baby changing table into a wrapping station; it’s permanently set up in one of the spare rooms. When the Amazon packages start arriving, they go right into the wrapping room where they get checked off the shopping list, wrapped and tagged. My days of wrapping marathons are over.

Online shopping is the only way for me, except for grocery shopping. I tried one of the grocery delivery services once but I wasn’t happy with some of the selections made for me, especially things like fruit, veggies, dairy, deli and meat. Those items need to be seen, felt and smelled in person and expiration dates have to be checked. Since Bill likes to pop into the supermarket almost every other day, the job of grocery shopping is now his. I’ll help him put the groceries away but I don’t shop for them.

That’s been my shopping approach for a long time now; if it can’t be bought online (or by Bill in a store) it doesn’t get bought. And no matter what anyone may think of Jeff Bezos, I love Amazon.

My Wrapping Station © NAR

NAR©2024

This Week’s Writer’s Workshop Prompts – November 12, 2024

This is “Let’s Not Go Shopping”  by Robbie Williams

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for Nancy (The Sicilian Storyteller), The Elephant’s Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NAR©2017-present.

58 thoughts on “Confessions Of An Online Shopper”

  1. Very cool wrapping table (although I didn’t see my gift anywhere there? 😉 ) (But it’s early!) I’m like you when it comes to shopping and I try and do everything online. The only downside is returns and that requires a trip to a store and a parking lot. I was wondering about online groceries and then you talked about that. I haven’t done that either for the same reasons you don’t.

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    1. Thanks, Fishman! That’s also my Beatles Room, in case you didn’t guess!

      All my returns to Amazon are free and don’t even need to be boxed or bagged, although I do. I initiate a return online, print out the bar code and it goes to UPS. It’s really easy; we just drop it off when we’re out doing other stuff.

      Tell you what …. I’ll send you your gift as soon as I get my cookie from you. I’d say it’s long overdue! 😉 🍪

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      1. That’s interesting because they got rid of the free UPS dropoff option here. Now we get charged $1 for that. For a free return we have to go to Staples, Kohl’s or Whole Foods. I liked Whole Foods because that’s where I shop, but it was a DIY kiosk and the lines were terrible. They just starting having a counter with a real person so that’s good. Do you like Oreos?

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        1. We still have free dropoff at UPS and all the other locations you mentioned; the only change made here in NY is we now have to declare which UPS location we will be using …. not a game changer by any means but sometimes if we’re out and about and see another UPS location, we’d stop there. Now we’re locked into the one we chose while initiation our return.

          Love Oreos! Still dig dunking them in milk, too. Has to be the original, though; none of that double stuffed stuff or fudge covered. Nothing better than an original Oreo!

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  2. My husband is a penny pincher all year long yet turns into a shopaholic at Christmas. He is all done with our gift giving shopping for this year and most gifts came from Amazon. It gives him so much joy, I’ve always happily taken just a support role at Christmas. (I know which colors and sizes.)
    Now, he has two debilitating illnesses that keep him home
    and (Thanks to online shopping) can still find that Christmas joy of shopping. It’s a Godsend.

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    1. Your story warmed my heart, Susan. Most of us shop online for convenience and don’t remember there are people who do so out of necessity. You’re absolutely right to call it a Godsend; your husband and so many others in his position can exercise their independence and participate in the things that bring them joy. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts today! ♡

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  4. Wrapping is always an issue as I have to do it on the bed!
    I used to start my Christmas shopping in September, and everything would be purchased, wrapped and labelled by the end of October. That was when I’d make my Christmas cake, which would have 2 generous spoonfuls of sherry each week until marzipanning it in December and icing it the week before Christmas.
    Work would give us a turkey and the only food shopping I had to do was veg. Stocking fillers were purchased a fortnight before Christmas. It spread the cost on a tight budget.

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    1. Wrapping on the bed is backbreaking, Di. I don’t know how you do it. There’s a desk in the wrapping room which I use and I can either sit or stand while wrapping. Hubby wraps his gifts for me on the dining room table; he won’t use the wrapping room because he needs to be near a TV whenever possible! 🙄

      Your Christmas cake sounds amazing with a kick that would knock me on my butt! Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone got a free turkey? Lord know the government can afford it! 🦃

      Enjoyed your comments, Di. Thanks for sharing!

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      1. I’m glad I don’t have many parcels to wrap now, though it’s fun wrapping up the silly gifts. I haven’t made a Christmas cake for many years as it’s just the two of us, so I cheat and buy a ‘slab’. A few years ago I did buy a whole cake but ended up giving it away to the doctor’s prescription office staff as it was too much for us.
        The bank used to give us a £100 food hamper at Christmas and that had everything in it!

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        1. Yes, we’ve cut back big time so not too much wrapping these days. Except for Colette, the grands are teens now and want gift cards. I oblige but still get them a real gift, even if deciding on something gets more difficult with each year.

          That’s a very generous holiday hamper from the bank. It’s wonderful when employers show their appreciation.

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  7. Amazon is my guilty pleasure! The Christmas tree and decorations that I ordered yesterday arrived a couple of hours ago.! I just checked my orders – 79 so far this year!. As for groceries I’m with Bill. I like supermarkets and visit one every couple of days.

    Changing the subject, slightly, I saw your comment on Neil’s site where he mentioned the bread advert. It’s worth a look!

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    1. Oh, that was brilliant, Keith. Thanks so much for the share, my toasty little loaf! 🍞

      We recently rearranged our living room furniture and will be placing our tree in the front window for the first time ever! I’m silly excited about that. I love your Christmas Spirit, Keith! It’s a beautiful thing! 🎄 💚

      PS – I don’t know if you remember my write up about the tree I got from Amazon. It’s by far the best Christmas tree we’ve ever had! If you want to read it again, HERE’S the link.

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        1. Sounds to me like you really get into the season! The first time we changed things up was when we finally became empty nesters and decided on a smaller tree … like 3′ tall! When the grandkids started coming along, we went back to a larger tree. Now we have our fold-up version. We will decorate after Thanksgiving, with the help of our sweet Colette.

          Living in a loft, where do you store all your different themed trees and decorations?

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    1. Please! I have my moments of chaos! I try to remember what it’s like being buried under disorganization so I won’t fall victim again; I’m rarely successful. That pic was taken immediately after the wrapping station was first set up. You’d be singing a different tune if you saw it right now! 😂

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  11. How very organised of you! I do everything online these days: as I can’t get out much it’s easiest that way. Even food shopping, which I’ve never really had any bad experiences with.

    One suggestion though: Let’s NOT listen to Robbie Williams 🤣

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    1. It sounds better than it really is! I try to be organized and it lasts for a while but, like most of us, it falls by the wayside and I have to climb out from under a pile of stuff. 🙃

      FYI – I have no idea who Robbie Williams is! I Googled “songs about online shopping” and this one seemed the most appropriate. That is the only method to today’s musical selection. Ignorance is often bliss. 🤷🏼‍♀️

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            1. Ok, I Googled Robbie Williams and his pic was familiar. I think I may have seen him on Michael McIntyre’s show once, which was enough. I imagine he’s the Brit version of Robin Thicke who makes my skin crawl.

              I will subsist on a diet sans RW very nicely. Prat! (looked that up, too!) 🤣

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              1. Once is more than enough for him! I’ve heard of Robin Thicke but know nothing of him, so I’ll take your word for it.

                At least I’ve given you a good reason not to waste more time on him, and taught you a new word 🤣

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  13. Ohh I’m with you. I mostly buy things online, except for groceries mostly. The thought of driving in traffic, finding a parking spot, waiting in lines makes me seek refuge in harbour. Amazon had good deals, fast delivery and easy returns and that’s hard to turn down indeed

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    1. I hear ya, Sister! I’m not afraid to take a chance on buying anything. The worst thing that can happen is it has to be returned …. and most places offer free returns anyway. Amazon is a brilliant concept and it’s run beautifully. I don’t have any complaints.

      Thanks, Shweta! 😊

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      1. Oh, me too! My brother often jokes that I must be Amazon’s favourite customer and that they’ll probably send out a search party if it’s been too long since my last order! It’s a brilliant concept indeed. I have zero complaints too. Always a pleasure, Nancy

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  14. I am not a fan of Jeff Bezos, but I shop at Amazon a lot. They have everything I need, fast delivery, and easy returns. That said, I would never buy a vehicle made by Tesla because Elon Musk nauseates me.

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