I realize this may come across a bit suspect from an online retailer but honestly if you have not “bought in” to buying online, I will share my compelling top ten in an effort to convince you:
#10. Tantrums, tantrums and more tantrums. Let’s face it, kids would much rather be pretty much anywhere else than strolling in the mall or shops with you! If they can talk, chances are they are uttering, I am bored, I am hungry. If they cannot talk, you are much luckier as they may still be compliant but just wait!
#9. On a few occasions and completely unintentionally, I have caught my children “stealing” items off of shelves. Sometimes we got all the way home with the items and other times we were able to return the product before getting arrested. My son usually goes for any food that is in sight, I just need to train him to pocket some diamonds instead of bags of caramel corn.
#8: It is bad enough for us adults who have sworn off chocolate since January 1st, 2008 but those bad bad bad merchandisers that place candies and chocolate at toddler height in every checkout should themselves be made to go to trough these checkouts with children! Payback is a b**** but honestly, the kids are already melting down by this point (as are the parents) why couldn’t you throw a few fruits and veg at the checkouts instead? Yes, I know I live in a dream world sometimes.
#7: Then there is the inopportune bathroom incidents which range from the public poo-cano to dashing to the nearest (and usually gross) public washroom so your big boy or girl doesn’t do their business in their pants. True story … being the Mom of the Year that I am, I forgot to restock the diaper bag and of course my daughter does a huge runny #2 and it is seeping out of her diaper. I remove her dirty diaper, throw her soiled pants on quickly, run from the 2nd floor department store bathroom to the drug store in the attached mall, buy some diapers and rush back to finish the change. Worked up quite a sweat as the stores were about to close and I was trying to make it back to the bathroom before I got locked out.
#6: How many young children do you know that like to browse and hunt for that perfect gift for someone? I cannot tell you how many times prior to shopping online that I would simply pick up the first thing I saw without so much as a thought simply because I needed to remove myself from the situation of trying to sift through things. Not exactly the thoughtful or meaningful gift I had hoped to buy for that anniversary, birthday, wedding or Christmas.
#5: The parking lot. Navigating street or underground parking takes a lot of skill and you sometimes need to stalk people with shopping bags just to get a space. I do not know about you other mini van drivers out there but I sometimes need a can opener just to squeeze the Raspberry Mobile in or out of parking spots. Knock on wood that I have not hit a pole recently (I have had a few meetings with concrete slabs in the past) but I chalk it up to spending less time in these situations thanks to shopping from the comforts of my home. Then there is the cost of parking. Obviously I have not been to the mall in a long, long time but the last time I went it cost $12 to park for 3 hours. I will pay for shipping and avoid this hassle any day!
#4: Lineups and unpleasant store clerks. Can someone please tell me why it is a good use of my time to stand in a line that is 15 people deep when stores have one or two clerks working the check out? OK, I am a tad impatient at the best of times but when you have two toddlers hanging off your leg or wanting you to carry them, this is even more unpleasant. Perhaps if when I got to the checkout the clerk flashed me a smile and thanked me for my patience it might be a bit less painful of an experience. God help you if you have a question or require some assistance because training and common sense are non existent at times. It also irks me that I cannot remember the last time a business or store thanked me for choosing to spend my hard earned dollars at their establishment. This is the easiest thing in the world to do but regrettably very few companies emphasize this as part of their culture or take the time to do it. Raspberry Kids prides itself on customer service and acknowledging first time, repeat and loyal customers.
#3: When I was working full time and then rushing from my job to pick my husband up to get home in time to relieve our child care, it was nearly impossible to get to certain stores during their opening hours. It is not the most convenient to shop during the day from Monday to Friday during traditional business hours and I do not want to give up my weekends to get to a particular store because that is the only time I can get there while they are open. Online shopping is open 24 X 7 X 365 and that means you can shop at 6am in your pjs, on a break or lunch hour or any time you darn well feel like it. You dictate when you shop, not the other way around.
#2: You can find anything online! The selection is enormous but admittedly it can be overwhelming at times. That is why I have found my tried and true stores that I know I can trust, I like the design and look and feel of their products, brand and website and the e-tailers that I use offer an easy checkout process and divulge their shipping information up front.
#1: I used to be very adverse to paying for shipping charges and after placing my digital prints order online, I would select instore pickup and would drive to the local photo lab to pick up my order. The shipping typically ranged in price from $5 to $8 for the photos and after I calculate my time, gas, parking … it really made a lot more sense to just have the package arrive on my doorstep. When you combine this with some of the other reasons I have mentioned, it really all comes down to convenience. When we surveyed moms prior to opening Raspberry Kids, the number one reason they gave for shopping online was convenience and there is nothing more convenient than pointing, clicking and waiting for your order to arrive. Easy peasy!
So there you have it, this is my list of reasons for shopping online. Would love to hear your comments or feedback.
Sue
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