In this age of technology more and more consumers are turning to the internet for their holiday shopping needs. And why not? Considering all of the offers available to shoppers like free shipping, free gifts with purchase and crazy online only sales! I think I personally just deleted about 15 offers in my email for similar offers. Aside from this past weekend of frantic shoppers CNNMoney.com reports that “some 106.9 million Americans plan to shop online on Cyber Monday, compared to 96.5 million last year, the National Retail Foundation (NRF) said”. Another possible advantage to shopping online as opposed to in store is product availability. Last year I went out to Wal-Mart first thing Black Friday morning to get a television. After waiting in line and dealing with the crowds I was unable to get any of the televisions I was looking for. I ended up going home and ordering it online where there were not only plenty in stock but I had the freedom to shop around and compare pricing in the comfort of my own home.

Not only are we seeing more online shopping but more shopping in general this holiday season. Could this be a good sign for the economy? “The average shopper spent $365.34 during Black Friday weekend 2010, compared to $343.31 during the same weekend last year, the NRF said. Total spending for the weekend was $45 billion”. The article goes on to detail that $648 million of that spend was online on Black Friday. This is just another point that goes to show that people are not only shopping more this season, but shopping smarter. Think about the supply chain that is affected by this increase in online shopping. In stores you have your suppliers and their shipping companies that deliver the product along with all of the employees in the stores to aid with sales. The increase of online shopping leads to increased profits and volume for shipping suppliers such as DHL, UPS, and FedEx, not to mention the USPS. Regardless of where you shop this holiday season take a few minutes to consider how you are contributing to the revolving economy and maybe making a difference in our not so distant financial futures.
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Jennifer Ulrich

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  1. Forgt about the USPS. Their broke.
    However don't forget to file your purchasaes with your state income taxes. That is on the forms, isn't it??

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