Shopping for the Holidays: In Store or Online?

November 15, 2011

The holiday season is here. That means it’s time to start thinking about gift shopping. The rest of my family lives in either Oregon or California, so whatever gifts I buy have to be shipped. When I first came out here to Missouri in 2000, one of my most enduring memories was exploring the Plaza for the perfect holiday gifts. I spent a lot of time going through all sorts of shops before I managed to roundup all the gifts I needed. But that was hardly the end of it; I still had to wrap the presents (which I am terrible at), stand in line at the post office, and then, finally ship off the packages.

Fast forward to today: The family members that I spent so much time shopping for about a decade ago now have wish lists online. So instead of spending a day or two looking through shops, followed by wrapping and shipping gifts, I only have to spend a few minutes looking online. A few clicks of a mouse button, a little typing, and I’m done.

Online shopping and wish lists have certainly made holiday shopping easier for a lot of us. However, there is something to be said for going to stores, seeing the perfect gift, and delivering it to someone personally. I go both ways on the issue, but what are your thoughts on this? Do you shop online, or out to the stores for your gifts?

Robert F
Excelsior Springs Branch