Online Shopping : Yay or Nay?
Pandemic Shopping
The way we shop had definitely changed over the years, more especially during this pandemic when there are lots of restrictions and health protocols in place. In the past year, online shopping grew more in popularity as more and more people used this as a preferred mode of purchasing their goods.
Personally, I never liked online shopping. I love personally going to the shops, touching, comparing, and being able to bring home the things I bought as soon as I paid. Before two weeks, I've only been able to make an online purchase twice in my life - only because the items I would like to buy are not available in my current location.
Forced by the situation
I am not able to drive my car right now so I had to make adjustments to how we shop for our groceries. And yes, I was forced to use the online shopping app of the grocery store I usually go to. At first, the experience was good. I got all my ordered items and in all fairness, they were in good condition even the fruits and vegetables.
So I made my second transaction a few days later. And my nightmare began.
The thing with this online store, they have two sets of delivery options -- NOW (within 60 minutes) and another within the span of the day. There are items that are deliverable now, while some, you'll have to wait. You have the option for the "NOW" delivery for all but you need to pay extra money for it.
So what happened to me was that my order was split into two deliveries. One was delivered now and another was set to be delivered sometime between 8pm - 10pm. The now delivery did not really come in 60 minutes as mentioned in the app, but I think 2 hours. For the other items, I waited... and waited... until 11 pm! One hour before midnight! Nobody called.
Finally, the delivery man called at 11.30pm only to inform me that he was still at the store and that of course, he won't be able to come anymore. Naturally, I waited for the delivery the following morning, but nothing came so I decided to call their customer care to find out what happened to my order.
"Sorry for the delay, somebody will call you back," was the standard response.
"We are dealing with your complaint on priority".
It went on for three days! I was always promised a call-back that never came. I called to rant every day for three days. To my disappointment, I literally asked them to take down their app from the app store so that they cannot victimize more people. Apparently, there are a lot like me who are facing issues with failed deliveries and refunds.
Long story short, my order was finally canceled and I received an SMS on the fourth day (their standard turnaround time for complaints) my complaint had been resolved. Now one week later, I have not yet received my refund!
Try Again
As I said, I don't really have lots of options right now so I have to rely on online shopping for most of our needs.
As if I did not learn my lesson yet, my current issue with the first online store wasn't resolved yet and I made another purchase with another. This time it was for non-grocery items. My husband is the one who always uses this service and he did not have any issues so far. Thankfully, my order also came in time and intact.
Today, we need to replenish our pantry. Since we need to purchase heavy items like rice, sugar, milk, etc., I had to order online again. Guess where I ordered?! Yes, the same shop that had not yet refunded my money! LOL. This time around, I tried to only shop those items that can be delivered now and paid cash on delivery.
I guess for now I am tied by the situation until I am able to drive my car again. Online shopping, it is!
I hope next time I will be able to share another in-store shopping experience with you all. Until then!
This is my contribution to @dswigle's Market Friday initiative. Do you also have anything to share about your shopping experience? Come, join the fun on Market Friday!
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Ohhh pandemic really made a revolution on this field.
I would say that online shopping will never change the one we knew for ages, but in some part it already did.
Yes, I think it is here to stay. It made the world even smaller with purchases that can literally be made from across the globe. That said, I still love the old school going through shelves and aisles. That kind of shopping was sort of my me-time before.
Oh!! That is terrible! I am so sorry! You still did not get your money back? Yikes! I haven't used the online grocery and hope I never have to. It is experiences like yours that make me want to run away screaming.
I feel bad for you because you have no choice and they are still treating you badly.
I continued to go to the grocery store throughout the pandemic and there were no people in there, but, the clerks were running around like crazy people. Young kids that don't care what your lettuce looks like and make decisions on what you get if they are out of your product. I am so sorry they are treating you terribly! Much luck until your car situation gets fixed!
#MarketFriday has evolved over time from straight shopping to a cultural affair as it highlights how we differ and then again, how much we are alike. We have become a melting pot of culture, but, it is still the Rituals, Festivals, food, architecture, even your language/languages that separate us... Along with the fact of what is normal for where you live? These are unwritten rules that rule our social behaviors. I see this as allowing for increased tolerance between cultures and nations, and opportunities to come together on an even playing ground. A strong culture can be beneficial to a country as it promotes unity, especially during a crisis, peaceful debate, and open dialogue. I can only hope this to be true.
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Take pictures! Be creative!
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As always, please remember! #MarketFriday loves you!
Upped and reposted
Oh yeah, I still prefer buying in-store. I have that habit of looking at the ingredients of everything even shampoo. hehe. I love being able to touch and inspect the products/produce too. So hopefully we get the car issue sorted out soon.
I still haven't received the refund until now! I think it's got to do with them having to refund via Mastercard instead of a direct bank transfer...