With 3 kids and an online business, needless to say I do almost all of my non-grocery shopping online. I don’t have a grocery delivery in my area or otherwise I’d buy my groceries online too! As is stands, I buy lots of grocery type items on Amazon PrimePantry
No matter where I shop online, I always make sure I am getting the best value, will have a user friendly shopping experience, can checkout easily and will get timely delivery of the purchased items. Sometimes I consider the post sale customer support if I am unsure about an item I’m purchasing.
Return Policy
When I buy things like shoes or clothing online, I make sure the online shop has a good return policy. I purchase most of my family’s clothing online at Gap and Old Navy because I get cashback with Ebates, use my Gapcard to get additional discounts, I purchase the minimum to get free shipping AND I only buy when they are having a 35-50% off sale. I’m the boss when it comes to getting deals on Old Navy and Gap.
I like Zappos because they also have free shipping and free returns. To me, having free shipping and free returns is super important when buying from online shops.
Store Credit Cards
Stores like Gap, Target and Kohls have their own credit cards that let you save even more if you use them. You can get perks like an additional 5% off your order, free shipping and more. I have a Silver Level Gapcard that gives me exclusive savings on my purchases, free expedited shipping, an extra 10% off on Tuesdays and I earn points on every purchase that I can redeem for extra savings off my order. It takes a minute to figure out all the savings you can take advantage of, but once you do, you will be amazed at how much money you can save!
Getting Cashback
Do you have the Ebates extension on your browser? If you don’t, you should get it right now. It alerts you to how much cashback you can get on each website you shop on. One click and you start earning cashback on every purchase you make. It’s that easy! I can’t even begin to tell you how much money I’ve saved using Ebates. If you shop online frequently, do yourself a favor and sign up for Ebates today.
Using Coupon Codes
I try not to shop online unless I have a coupon code to go with my purchase. Before I checkout on any website, I always search websites like RetailMeNot or Coupon Cabin for coupon codes to make sure I’m saving the most amount of money possible. It’s an extra step that can take a few minutes but you can end up saving a lot of money, so it’s worth it!
Buying Jeans Online
I’m really careful about jeans online. It’s hard to get the perfect fit when it comes to jeans so you either need to know for sure how that particular brand fits your body or try them on in a store first before purchasing online. If neither is possible, be sure the website you are ordering from has a good return policy, preferably with free return shipping. Gap and Old Navy are great about returns so I generally buy my jeans from them. Some people find the best online shopping for jeans and pants to be Nordstrom, but I beg to differ. Yes, you can get a really good deal if you wait for their Friends & Family sale, but otherwise you may be paying more than you need to.
Free 2 Day Shipping
Of course, you can get Free 2 Day Shipping (among many other perks) with an Amazon Prime account which is extremely convenient. There are also subscription services like Shoprunner that give you free 2 day shipping on a wide variety of stores like Drugstore.com, Staples and Toys R’ Us.
Shopping From Your SmartPhone
Whether you call it a shopping cart, a buggy, basket or a carriage, it really doesn’t matter as long as you can find it on the website when you are ready to checkout! Some apps like Zulily, RueLaLa and Amazon make it really easy to checkout right from your phone, but other apps are a complete pain. Worse yet, when the online store doesn’t even have an app and you have to checkout through the website in a browser on your phone. Sometimes, I give up entirely! Thank goodness there are so many functional shopping apps out there that make it possible to checkout and make your purchases quickly without running for your computer.
Shopping should not be a strenuous or stressful experience at all. Thanks to online shopping, buying what you need is easier than ever!
