May 2018

May 2018

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Brick-and-Mortar vs. Online Shopping

Sometimes I forget about the brick-and-mortar stores.  Online shopping is just too convenient and often offers the best bargains.  Plus, even if I end up spending more, I still save because I don't do any impulse buying.  Today, however, I was reminded it's sometimes still worth leaving the house.

This year, in addition to hosting the staff holiday lunch and Christmas Eve lunch and dinner, we're also serving a meal on Christmas Day.  Therefore, I decided it was time to get a Christmas tablecloth.  In the past, we used the same white tablecloth for all gatherings throughout the year.

After searching online for weeks, I settled on a Williams-Sonoma red plaid tablecloth.  It wasn't cheap, but they were offering free shipping and I don't plan to do this every year. So today I decided to place my order.  Unfortunately, the size I needed had sold out.

That's when I remembered Home Goods.  I used to shop there often, but haven't for a long time now.  Our home is finally getting to the point where I'm happy with most of the decor.  Home Goods offers great bargains, but it's hit-or-miss, so I wasn't too hopeful as I headed there this afternoon.

To my surprise, it was a successful trip.  I got two tablecloths and 24 napkins for half the cost of the Williams-Sonoma tablecloth.  Originally, I had planned to get just one tablecloth that would cover our table when fully extended.  But now I also have a shorter one that will fit better when no extensions are used.

This was one time when it definitely was worth leaving the house.  And I only made one impulse buy, a $5 bag of gourmet bubblegum balls!

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