Catalog Shopping

I have always loved shopping but lately, it has been an increasingly bigger hassle which is starting to feel like a chore that dilutes the pleasure.  And I know exactly what it is all about.  It is the economy which forces many businesses to shut their doors forever.  It is the population growth in large metropolitan areas.  It is the rising cost of gasoline.  It is the global movement that strives to paint everything “green.”  Now, I know that you are probably wondering how I can possibly tie all that together and then apply it to the shopping experience, and I will explain.  As a matter of fact I can even do it in a few short sentences.

Since the depressed economy is to blame for many shopping arenas to go out of business, the growing population is flocking into the stores that still remain operational in more remote areas and the result is uncomfortable congestion in the parking lots as well as up and down the store aisles.  This brings me to the cost of gasoline and the “green” movement.  In the past and before they relocated to more affordable sites, I could even walk to a nearby shopping mall or reach one within a few short minutes.  On my last shopping excursion, I had to driver further through streets that were jammed with more cars, paid out more money to fill my gas tank and burned more resources which emitted more toxins into our already sadly ailing environment.  I then had to drive around and round the parking lot to squeeze into a space that was not nearly big enough, spent too much time looking for items that had already been snatched by some other customer, settled for something I did not really need and waited in a long line to pay its high price.  Having completed my shopping, I got out to the parking lot to retrieve my car which was nicked by who-know-who, paid for the parking because many stores no long validate and joined the slow-moving traffic toward home.  Do I still love shopping?  Not under these condition!

Ah, but I found the perfect solution — catalog shopping (also known as mail order catalog shopping) which, unsurprisingly, reignited my love for shopping.  And why not?  Mail order catalog shopping is, after all:

• Convenient.  Everything I ever want or need is at my fingertips.
• Relaxing.  I can sit back in my favorite chair with a glass of wine or a cup of tea and shop to my heart’s content.
• Time efficient.  It is available to me twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year and I can go about it as quickly or as slowly as I choose myself.
• Homey.  I do not even have to get out of my pajamas or worry about bad hair days.
• Cost effective.  I save money on gas, on the wear and tear of my car, as well as on the products which are all priced very reasonably.
• Green.  Yes, catalog shopping is the “green” way to shop because it reduces CO2.emisions.  Just ask any environmentalist.

And after the convenience, the comfort and the cost savings I get a package delivered to my front door and it feels like my favorite gift-giving holiday each and every time.  Yes, I still love shopping.