While shopping online is convenient and fun, there are some disadvantages.

Know the cons to realize the benefits of shopping at a traditional store.

Shopping Apps

Shopping from an appis a convenient luxury.

Woman shopping online with credit card

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This can keep you updated on all the best upcoming sales.

Coupon codeslike the ones you could get fromcoupon code sitesare also extremely popular when shopping online.

This isn’t true with online stores, where choices are abundant.

If you don’t see what you want at one store online, move on to the next one.

As the consumer, you have the power to do that.

Private Shopping

Ordering online is the preferred way to get something discreetly.

Especially around the holidays, there’s a major benefit of no congestion when shopping online.

When it’sreallybusy, you might not evenremember where you parked your car!

Fewer Impulse Buys

This one depends on your shopping habits.

Some retailers support PayPal, Bitcoin, or zero-interest payment plans, for example.

Most online stores make it easy to return items for this reason.

You might instead have to wait a full day or longer to get your question answered.

Must Wait for Delivery

Need something no later than this afternoon?

Some online shopping sites take weeks to deliver your order (though, they’re in the minority).

Even packages that do arrive could sit outside long enough for theft to occur.

In-store shopping has no need to charge extra for shipping.

Privacy and Security

Privacy and security are legitimate concerns for any online shopper.

It’s also hard to immediately recognize whether an online store is real or just there to scam you.

There are precautions you might take when shopping online to make the experience more secure.