My wife is the classic super star shopper. Back in her day she once hit six malls across three states in just one day. No exaggeration, 3 different states. That's a lot of shopping bags....

However, no more. Yes, we did go to a mall after Thanksgiving, but that was more about getting ideas for our holiday lists. And, when we do go to a retail store, it is one of the local ones in Chester for unique gifts and for just a walk about town.

Did my wife suddenly stop shopping? No. She buys almost everything online.

Take this past Friday as an example. The mailman once again rang the front door to drop our mail off and a package. An hour later (mind you I have a home office), the door rang again and it was DHL with another box (BTW - I didn't think DHL was still in business). Then an hour later, it's the doorbell again but this time it is Federal Express with another box.

Ok. That has to be it right?

Wrong. Around 4:30 PM I see the brown truck back into my driveway. Yes, back in... because it is easier for the driver to get the boxes out. So, I met him down in my garage to get more boxes.

What did he say to me when I opened my garage door and he saw this picture?">

"Man, I hit Long Valley and I set my truck on autopilot to your house." BTW - those boxes prevent me from pulling my car into the garage.

So, what does our favorite shopper have to say about online shopping?

First, looking online for ideas is not very easy or fun.

Second, it is hard to figure out what you are going to look like or how the shoes or clothes will fit. That's why the return policy is so critical.

Finally, search functions are also critical -- not just paid click on Google results, but search on the ecommerce sites.

What's Mary's secret? She uses catalogs to supplement the lower resolution of PCs to figure out what something will look like and to get ideas for people. Don't need a connection to do that and believe it or not, some things are just better the old fashioned paper method. However, when it comes to placing the order, nothing beats online.

Yes, with all the shopping we do online, I'm sure of one thing. These shippers better be cashing in big time, at least my stock portfolio looks a lot better than my car parked out in the cold until Christmas.

BTW, if you need to go to a good place at the last minute. Ask Mary. She knows. I needed a place to buy shoes. She said go to Zappos - they have everything and a 365 day, free both ways, return policy. (Try reading return policies at big retailers like Target to see how that compares.) Their site side search is terrible, but you can find almost anything and they ship quickly. That white Zappos box on the bottom of the picture arrived within 3 business days. Have a merry online shopping...

PardonMyFrench,

Eric