New, and Old, Age Shopping

I heard on the Today Show yesterday morning that Toys R Us is declaring bankruptcy. I was shocked. We single handedly keep them in business. Or at least it feels like it! But I'm not terribly surprised. It appears that the new way of shopping these days is online and apparently, Toys R Us is feeling the effects. 

I know that the new trend is shopping is online, particularly via Amazon, but I am a girl that loves to shop in person. Clothes shopping in particular. Maybe it's because I worked retails for years. Maybe it's because I'm truly old fashion. Whatever the reason, there is nothing like shopping in store. I like being addressed by a live person as I walk through the door. I love touching and feeling the fabrics as I browse the newest inventory. And, most importantly, I like trying things on. With the way fit models are constantly changing, I am no longer a true size eight. I can sometimes be a size six, shockingly, but I can also be a ten, unfortunately. (And I'm not knocking dress sizes. It's a personal issue I have with my own body type. That's a whole nother blog post!) I'm not about to order multiple sizes, because who's bank account can afford that! And to be honest, returning via shipping is a pain at times. Also, what may look super cute online may not be as pretty in person. The fabric can be cheap, bulky, see-thru, or not as pictured.  Seriously, shopping in person is always my first choice. Oh, and as a personal plea, would Zara PLEASE bring a store to Kansas City? You would be perfect for the Country Club Plaza. Just sayin'...

Now, when it comes to shopping for toys for McKinley, I'm on the fence. He will more than devastated if our physical Toys R Us closes, which is a possibility based on an article I read on CNN. Praying this isn't the case. I'm fine with shopping online for toys. I know what he likes, I can tell from the description if it will be a good fit, and I know the manufacturers he loves, so all is good. And I'm okay with shopping for his clothes online as well. Have you ever noticed there are no such things as fitting rooms for kids? If we need to see if something might fit, we have him stand with his back to us and place shirts and pants across his back. If the pants appear to fit in the crotch, and reach below the ankle, then that should work. If the shirt falls below the waist band, and the sleeves go past the wrist, it's a fit. Or, if a current size isn't cutting the mustard at home, it's clearly time to size up. The only true thing we need to shop for in person for him is shoes! 

So if people are no longer shopping in stores, where are they shopping? It appears that Amazon has the corner market on all things shopping. And when I say corner market, I didn't realize it was outside of electronics, toys, and books. Apparently, you can buy all of your household goods as well! Clueless party of one over here. I'm still writing up a grocery list, clipping my coupons from coupon.com, and heading to the grocery store every couple of weeks. I guess this puts my in the category of old lady! Seriously, when did this all happen and how did I miss it? You can create a shopping list and have it shipped monthly or move out it out to the next month if you aren't quite ready for toilet paper. And they have coupons in addition to percentages off you order. I could find myself falling down a rabbit hole today as I get lost in the abyss of Amazon!! 

I'm going to do a little research project of my own. I'm going to talk it up with the hubs, pull out my latest Target receipt, and then price compare with a virtual shopping trip from Amazon. If we like what we see, receive, and save, this mama may be all in on the Prime bandwagon. 

Now, what is that thing called Netflix?

XO,
Andrea