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Winter 1999 Webzine
In this issue: Baglady Boarding Pass | Monthly Travelite Tip| Overseas Carry-On Travails | Tech Review | Web Site Review
Web Site Review
May the (Shopping) Force Be With You
Although stores have been beckoning us to shop with them online for the last year or two, I believe this Christmas is the first time that online shopping will actually make a noticeable impact on the market. Do you work odd hours and can't get to the mall? Don't live near a mall? Don't want to fight the masses at the stores? Want to shop for your holiday gifts while at work? [Oh come on! I bet you're reading THIS at work, aren't you?] I think people have gotten used to buying at Amazon.com and are ready to shop for other merchandise online this season.
I have been shopping on the Internet for a couple of years now, although most of the activity has been in the past year. I started innocently enough with a book purchase at Amazon.com, and finished 1998 with a big bang as I bought a DVD player online (and then bought a second DVD player online as a holiday gift for someone, because I watched a DVD movie for the first time and couldn't believe how much of an improvement it was over videotape).
I set a new record this year: I think I spent more money shopping online than I did by going shopping in person (not counting groceries). That doesn't mean I am now buying more stuff; it's just that I am buying more of what I normally buy, online. I don't live near any malls. I work long hours. I don't care to drive when I don't have to, and I can never get any good customer service at retail stores anymore. Of course it doesn't help that I live in the Bay Area (in California), where we are constantly bombarded with "dot-com" ads. Yesterday, on one of those rare "shopping days" that had me out and about, I saw no less than three small airplanes, all trailing advertising banners for one dot-com or another.
One of the things I bought was an issue of a magazine called "Eshopper", brought to you "from the editors of Yahoo Internet Life" and published by Ziff-Davis, the ZDNet folks. I normally don't buy magazines, but this one interested me because it was a printed magazine all about shopping online, which indicated to me that the online shopping phenomenon finally got big enough for a major publisher to put out a special title for. [Ironically, going to www.eshopper.com did not take me to any site related to the magazine.]
Be warned that this magazine is full of dot-com ads. Tons of it. In fact, oh looky! Here's an ad for a web site that appeared in an adjacent article. Just like many consumer-oriented magazines.
How does this relate at all to traveling light? A couple of things. If you're trying to plan your upcoming trip, but don't have access to some of the stores that carry travel-related stock, you can quickly shop online for the same items. You don't even have to wait for the paper catalog to show up in your mail box. This may be particularly true for those living outside major countries, although some mail-order firms charge more for shipping outside the US. And as we approach the holiday season, you will be relieved not to have to worry about finding parking stalls or trying to find a sales clerk in the teeming masses at the malls.
Traveling to the relatives for the holidays and need to pick up gifts for everyone? Instead of carrying everything on the plane, purchase your gifts online, then have them shipped to your destination. You can even have it gift wrapped (usually for a few extra dollars). Don't want your nephew to open his gift early? Have your packages mailed to you in your name, in care of your relatives.
If you haven't been there yet, visit Skymall -- Yes, that catalog that stares out at you from the seat pocket every time you fly, regardless of airline. Have you actually spent time going through some of them? Some of the items are ridiculously overpriced, but this catalog is definitely worth a look. Many of the companies I normally shop through (such as Magellan's and LL Bean) have their most popular catalog items listed here. In fact, it was through the Skymall catalog that I discovered that LL Bean now has a special travel-related catalog called the LL Bean Traveler. Skymall also regularly features products from Brookstone, Sharper Image, ORVIS, and Sharper Image, to name a few. Best of all, products purchased through Skymall gets to you without a shipping fee. So items you would normally buy through the individual vendors, if purchased through Skymall, will save you a few bucks.
If you have cable TV, you've heard of QVC, the cable shopping channel. They are now online at iQVC. While I don't watch much TV (I choose not to have cable), I remember coming across QVC as I hit my remote. I was always amazed that people could watch an hour's worth of programming that sold just a dozen products, because I never had the patience to wait for the good stuff to show up. Well you don't have that problem with iQVC. Their search feature allows you to ask for specific products, such as their Freedom line of bags (which some of you really like). If you go there, you might do a search on "picnic bag". Your hit should be for item #A61196, a Northern Trails picnic backpack, which includes various plastic utensils and plates. Although this would not really be for flyers, this backpack is very handy if you want to have a nice picnic at the park. A comparable item at Brookstone will cost closer to $100. And while the QVC version won't be nearly so fancy, well, the QVC version only costs a whopping $12.74 plus shipping.
If you haven't been doing a lot of mail order or online catalog shopping yet, do be aware that there are some potential pitfalls. Always use a credit card to protect yourself, and read the fine print. If you are not already familiar with the company, and you are not sure if they have a presence outside the web (such as a retail store, or a regular mail-order catalog), ask them to send you a print catalog.
Most online purchase forms are now processed via a secure server, so you don't have to worry about your credit card number floating through etherspace and being stolen by some evil hacker. If you're not sure, check the web site. The reputable ones will provide information on the security of the transaction. A good rule of thumb is to check the URL line in your web browser. If the URL starts with "https" instead of just "http", then it is a secure server. A number of online stores now use BizRate.com to allow customers to provide feedback, and for you to check their level of customer service and quality.
Be aware that many of these online stores are gathering a lot of data about what machine you are logged in to, and what pages you are surfing through, before you even start filling out the online forms. Do not give them any information that is not required. For online purchases, all they should require should be your name, address, phone number and credit card. Any other information is none of their business, including what kind of car you drive, how old you are, or whether you've shopped with them before. You might try reading their privacy statement before doing any shopping. If the site requires your email address, look to see if you have a way you can specifically opt out of being sent future email mailings. Better yet, the button you click should be an opt-in choice; that is, the default if you don't click on the button should be that you get on no mailing list.
Finally, once you start purchasing online or through mail order, you will start receiving catalogs from all sorts of other companies you may have never ordered from. This is because the company you shopped at sold your name and address to other companies. If you want to avoid that, go to the Direct Marketing Association's web site or go directly to their page that tells you how to stop them from sending you all those catalogs. They even provide a form you can fill out and and send back to them. If you are diligent, you can use the mail-order form provided in the catalogs, and simply write, "Please delete me from the mailing list." Since they have to pay the postage for your form, it won't cost you anything. If you decide to give your unwanted catalogs away, make sure to tear out your name and address both from the back cover, as well as the order form itself.
Don't know where to start? I try to avoid malls (both offline and on), but here's a couple that will get you started. ShopNow.com is a collection of links to a ton of stores online. And of course, as a traveliter you will want to visit the sites I list in my Webliography.
May your holiday season be full of joy!
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