Shopping Brick-and-Mortar Store Vs Online

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Shopping Brick-and-Mortar Store Vs Online

Introduction

People vary regarding their preferences for their shopping locations. Some prefer online stores while others prefer brick-and-mortar stores. A brick-and-mortar is a physical store, within a building or any other structure. It is entirely a personal decision to shop wherever one may find better or convenient. However, it is impossible to ignore the glaring differences between the two stores and the reasons why people prefer either. Brick-and-mortar stores are more reliable since an individual enjoys various opportunities such as bargaining and physically inspecting the goods being bought.

Discussion

A brick-and-mortar store is similar to an online store in that products in both stores are displayed for potential buyers. The only difference is the space in which the displays are made. In the physical stores, goods and items are displayed in a manner that invited potential buyers into the store. Online stores display the merchandise for sale on their websites, which contains more information about the goods (Noh and Warfield 166). This way, clients are able to look properly at the items in the sale, make comparisons with other stores before making a decision. Displaying goods in both stores gives the clients an opportunity to make informed decisions about making purchases.

Sometimes a client may purchase a faulty item in a physical store, despite inspecting it thoroughly. However, one of the major setbacks, and at the same time, the difference between a brick-and-mortar store and the online store is that the customers are able to check out physically an item before buying it. In most cases, buyers are able to test their items in the brick-and-mortar stores. This is not the case with online stores. Customers choose an item based on what they can see, not what they can feel (Linsenman and Kingaard 17). Therefore, this presents a great chance for online stores to stock faulty products and sell them out, which is unethical. Another difference between the two stores is the fact that a brick-and-mortar store entails waiting in long queues, especially during the holiday seasons when everyone is out in stores shopping. On the other hand, online stores simply require one to click buttons online and request for delivery. This difference is one of the reasons why people opt to shop online rather than in physical stores.

Physical stores demand instant payments, which are cash transactions. However, some stores accept credit and debit cards, just like the online stores. This is a similarity between the two types of stores. However, the customer conducting online transactions is at a high risk of experiencing online theft or fraud. Hackers are able to access people’s finances online, by decrypting passwords to credit and debit cards. This similarity ironically poses a threat to online shoppers. Thus, physical shopping in brick-and-mortar stores is more encouraged.

Conclusion

The choice between shopping in a brick-and-mortar store and online store is largely dependent on the customer. However, some of the differences between the stores heavily influence an individual’s choice of where to buy their items. Issues such as long queues, the risk of credit card information being stolen, purchasing faulty products without inspection, are some of the disadvantages of both stores that arise from the differences between the two. However, from the discussion above, the brick-and-mortar store appears to have more advantages than disadvantages when compared to the online stores. Therefore, it is advisable for clients to do more of physical shopping instead of sitting behind a desk and ordering for items that they have not confirmed are in good condition.

Works Cited:

Linsenman, Ciree, and Jan Kingaard. Start Your Own Retail Business And More. [Irvine, Calif.]: Entrepreneur Press, 2011. Print.

Noh, Mijeong, and Carol L Warfield. Consumers’ Prior Experience and Attitudes as Predictors of Their Online Shopping Beliefs, Attitudes, and Purchase Intentions in a Multichannel Shopping Environment. Auburn, Ala.: N.P., 2008. Print.