The Norwich Guidon

The Norwich Guidon, student newspaper of Norwich University, is published twice monthly and has won numerous awards for excellence in its class.

Reporters, editors, and managers for The Norwich Guidon are students at the university who work under the guidance of a Communications faculty advisor. Student editors learn electronic pagination using state of the art computer equipment.

If you have any questions or comments about the paper, please contact Professor Ken Bush at kbush@norwich.edu.

In The News

February 13, 2003

Students enjoy convenience of shopping online

By Kara Swarbrick
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

Vermont has been described as a place to get away from everyday life. Unfortunately, with the quiet comes distance from big city areas that supply many of life's little luxuries and even some of the necessities. Secluded from department stores and sales, many Vermonters have found it difficult to find what they are looking for.

Now, however, the constant rise of online shopping means that these luxuries do not have to be forfeited. The Internet allows almost any item to be found, researched and purchased.

According to the PCWorld website (http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid, 108262,00.asp), this past holiday season online spending by consumers hit $1.9 billion a week before Christmas, up 19 percent from the week before Christmas a year ago.

ComScore is responsible for the tallying of the statistics, and, according to the PCWorld website, cumulative online sales for November 1 through December 20 were $12.6 billion, an increase of 29 percent from the year-ago period, with non-travel sales up 23 percent to $8.5 billion and travel sales up 51 percent to $4.1 billion.

A main reason for shopping online is convenience, according to Justin Bummara, 22, a senior business administration and management major from Perrineville, N.J.

"If I was at home, I wouldn't be shopping online, because I have a huge mall ten minutes away," said Bummara. "But because of the area Norwich is in, there isn't exactly a Barnes and Noble right around the corner, so it's just easier."

"I like shopping online better, because I can do it whenever I want; I could do it in my pajamas at 2 a.m. on a Wednesday night," said Kyle Blaikie, 21, a senior communications major from Greenport, N.Y. "I also like it because I don't have to worry about traffic or lines."

"That's how I do a lot of my shopping, now, because it's really just easier when shopping around for something," said Nathan Shively, 21, a senior peace, war and diplomacy major from Gaithersburg, Md. "You don't have to go from store to store to find the item that you really want and need."

The items available online are endless, but consumers do have their favorites.

"I often shop online when I can't find things in regular stores, and a lot of times, up here in Vermont, it's tough because I can't find specialty stores," Blaikie said.

"I do a lot of shopping for my car, whether it be for my audio system or parts," Shively said. "It's a lot easier to shop around, and once you find the product that you want, you don't have to go to a certain store to get it, you can just order it right there, and it's a lot more convenient."

According to the PCWorld website, among the fastest-growing categories apparel and accessories were the largest overall sellers in dollar terms at $1.4 billion, 31 percent higher than the year-ago period, and consumer electronics also topped the $1 billion mark, though barely, for growth of 21 percent.

Despite computer hardware holiday sales sagging 1 percent, at $1.63 billion, technology products remained the biggest category for dollar sales among the largest major non-travel categories, says PCWorld.

Although online purchasing can be more convenient, it still has its share of problems.

Drawbacks to online shopping are the unreliability of the Internet and the security problems that could arise while releasing private information onto the websites, said Bummara.

"I'd probably shop online more often; however, the Internet here at Norwich is so bad," Blaikie said. "I try to get on, and it takes five minutes to load a website."

Another problem with purchasing something online is that what is purchased is not always what you receive.

"The only thing I'm worried about is buying shoes or any of the clothing, just because I like to try it on, first," Blaikie said.

To fix the problem of trying things on before purchasing, Blaikie suggests going to the store and trying it on there before buying it online.

After hearing that it is actually safer to shop online than it is to shop over the phone, where you would be giving your credit card number to someone you don't know, Bummara now has peace of mind when shopping on the 'Net and even decided to buy his schoolbooks online because of the dramatic difference in cost.

Bummara saved $250 on books this semester by opting to purchase them online instead of in the bookstore.

But another drawback of online shopping, according to Shively, is the wait and, depending on the product, it could take a week or two before it arrives.

When it came to buying his books online, Shively opted not to for delay reasons.

"I just found it easier to go get them now," Shively said. "A lot of people are still waiting for their books, and I have mine. I found it a little more convenient to do it that way, even though it was more expensive."

"I save usually 30-40 percent on books [when I order them online]," Blaikie said. "However, 10-15 percent of what I saved usually gets tacked on for two or three day shipping; otherwise, I get behind in my class, waiting a week for a book."

The ultimate benefit in online shopping seems to be the lower prices and the small amount of effort it takes to go shopping.

"You don't have to worry about going out and getting it, yourself," Shively said. "You may have to pay shipping, but at the same time, a lot of times you can get it wholesale, and it's a lot cheaper."

"You can find things for a lot cheaper online than you would if you went to the stores," said Bummara. "To buy the same supplements they have at GNC, I think I'm saving around $15, even with shipping and handling."

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