A Myriad of Ways to Shop

There are so many ways to shop now-a-days, that even the laziest or pickiest of people can find a way that suits them. Don't have a car? Try online! Don't have a computer? Try shopping on the T.V. (QVC)! Hate paying full price? Try outlet malls! Love the rush of a last minute snag? eBay is the place for you, or you can try any of the other bidding sites that are springing up everywhere on the internet. Let's take a look at some of the pros and cons of all these smart ways to shop, and how they can save you money.

Let's say you're a traditional shopper, maybe you don't have a credit card or you would rather not deal with skeptical methods of shopping. No problem! There's a way to get the full experience of shopping without breaking your budget: the outlet mall. Outlet malls can be huge mall-like places with tons of stores, or they can just a few stores contained in a building. I've seen mall that are both indoor like the traditional mall, and ones like strip malls, with outdoor walkways and small parks separating clusters of stores. The closest one to my home is Potomac Mills Mall, a Simon Mall (Simon Malls). Tour buses come from all over Virginia and even farther to shop at this outlet mall, and for good reason. It's growing every season, with more stores ranging on the posh side of the retail market, and the deals you can find are pretty great. Nordstram rack, Burlington, T.J.Maxx, and Marshall's are just a few of the bigger stores that offer last season and present season deals.

If you want to try something new, and save some gas money and valuable time, the internet is the place to look. You can buy literally anything! Want groceries delivered to your door? Done! Electronics or medical supplies? No problem. Everything from pets to games to 26 pound gummy bears (vat19), anything is possible with the internet and a credit card. With such a large medium of shopping, it's smart to stick to those sites with two things: deals and security! eBay.com is probably the most notable bidding site in the world, but others are following suit. Most sites will just ask for an email to be a part of the action, and then the bidding can begin. I've actually snagged a few deals on eBay, saving literally hundreds. It's rather addictive, and some sites will try to rip you off, but it sure is a great way to save if you do your research and take the time to hunt down the best deals. Just make sure that whichever site you buy from has a secure checkout, like PayPal or VeriSign!



Sources:

http://www.qvc.com/
QVC.Virginia: 1995-2012. QVC Inc., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2012.

http://www.ebay.com/
eBay.Virginia: 1995-2012. eBay Inc., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2012.

http://www.simon.com/mall/?id=1260
Mills Means More.Virginia: 2011. Simon Property Group L.P., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2012.

http://www.vat19.com/
Vat19.Virginia: 2006-2012. Vat19.com., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2012.