Shopping is a very personal chore

I’m not a huge fan of shopping online. Don’t get me wrong, I do it, probably more than I should, but it’s not my preference.

The world today is ever-changing. In today’s digital world, the fast, simple acquiring of goods and services is greatly desired. People can be seen walking with their cellphones in hand, listening to music, texting, checking their bank accounts and even shopping.

I have to admit that there are times I chase the thrill of online shopping. It can get dangerous at times if I’m in that zone, but no matter how convenient clicking a mouse to purchase that perfect outfit can be, it will never top being able to actually feel the fabric, try it on and make sure it fits before I spend my hard-earned cash.

I don’t know how many times I’ve had to either send something back or give it away because what I ordered online doesn’t fit or it wasn’t what I expected. That’s my biggest pet peeve with online shopping. You never really know what you’re going to get.

On the other hand, when you actually step into a brick-and-mortar building, you can look through the racks of clothing, shelves of shoes or even in a parking lot full of nice, new, shiny cars, you can literally look at what you are getting before you purchase it.

Online shopping is incredibly easy and convenient, and it also often offers a better selection than in the actual stores. While it may be handy, you often have to wait for your purchase — be it a day or weeks even.

The other day, my husband and I were in Albuquerque visiting family. We figured it was a good time to go shopping for pillows — a purchase we had been wanting to make for months.

He had initially convinced me that we could buy pillows online, saying it would be more convenient than having to actually go to a store. I refused.

There are some items I will not buy online, and pillows are one of them. How can anyone really feel comfortable buying a pillow online without squeezing it, without feeling it, without knowing how it’s going to feel underneath your head?

Our shopping excursion was successful in that we bought the exact pillows we wanted, I got some sunglasses that fit my face pretty good, and we even had a nice lunch — at a restaurant.

It’s a bit silly that I get excited to go shopping at an actual store and even eat a meal in person, at a restaurant. Just a few years ago, all we were doing was shopping online, eating at home and wondering when the world was going to open up.

Well, it’s all open for business, folks. We can go into stores and pick what we want. We can sit in a restaurant and order our favorite dish. We can even go to the car dealership, test drive a vehicle and then buy it.

What’s funny is online shopping has become commonplace in today’s society. It’s easy. It’s accessible. It’s fairly quick.

I remember back in the day, OK, the 1980s and ᾿90s when QVC was popular. For those of you too young to know what QVC is, it’s a television network and shopping channel. They sell named-brand items, and shoppers could conveniently call a telephone number from their homes and buy what they saw.

Yes, I did partake in the activity and bought a few things, such as one of those vacuum sealers for food, which worked for the first five or so times.

One of the better purchases I made were these little, glow-in-the-dark cherubs I bought for Christmas ornaments for my daughter, Caitlin. They were so cute. I don’t know why, but I put them away for a rainy day and never used them again after I left my parents’ house.

When my mom and dad died, we went through their things, and I was delighted last year when I found them safe and sound. I shipped them off to my daughter so she could put them on her tree — which she did.

Shopping is a very personal endeavor. Whether you do it from the convenience of your phone or tablet or dare to actually walk into a store, I wish you well on your chase.