The world we live in

I do not like shopping and the only good thing about the Internet is that I can search for items and compare prices, not only prices in my own country but also abroad.

I rarely buy abroad since there are extra fees which don't make it any cheaper. Although I still haven't discovered the advantage of one EU (prices differ a lot and just driving across the border was never really possible and even when you fly you have to show your papers a thousand and one times) it is sometimes useful to see what the average price is but also to get more information about a specific product. It strikes me that many sites do not really do so with product descriptions and this means that a lot of dubious junk is sold that no one is waiting for. It doesn't matter if it's about clothes, household goods or computers, the sellers are pulling the wool over your eyes. Now, of course, there are online shops that say you can return something if it is not in order. There are people who do that but there are also many who do not bother. Returning something is not always easy and it remains to be seen whether you will get your money back and, if so, how long that will take. In that respect, a physical shop is a better choice. At least then you can see the quality and you won't be so disappointed.

What I have always found strange is that clothes can be tried on and if not, you have 30 days (longer at some shops) to view the product and return it. With online shops, this is on average 14 days. Fourteen days is not long, at least not for me.

Those days start from the moment you order the item but you haven't received it yet. When it comes to clothes (which I prefer not to order online because they are always disappointing), I am not one of the enthusiastic people who immediately opens the package and everything fits. I leave the parcel for a few days and have to work up the courage to open it, and then I have to try it on (if it is clothing) or try it on (I hate this so much).

Luckily, I have children and children like to open packages (be my guest). Unfortunately, they cannot try on my clothes and shoes, otherwise, I would let them. The other way round is possible. So if my children have something on their (birthday) wish list, I can go and do some research for them (on the internet) and also try on clothes and shoes for them.

The last few weeks I have spent quite a few hours looking for underwear, shoes, socks and even computers No, I don't buy what I see I just look for the different options and something that is affordable and I keep searching because articles and prices change and sometimes I suddenly find a site I have never seen before (the advantage of not using Google).

Online shops, I'd rather not use them, because once you've looked somewhere, if you're unlucky, you get to see the same advertisement over and over again or if you've ever created an account, the shop automatically sends you a list of this or similar items. I don't need all that, so I also invest quite a bit of time in not accepting cookies, unsubscribing from newsletters, marking messages as spam and so on. With a slow internet connection, this takes a lot of time but I am glad that my email inbox, like my mailbox, is increasingly empty. I only have my email address for the government anyway, and the odd time I order something online and receive a confirmation.

After searching for underwear (there is a lot out there but on average everything for girls and women is rubbish and 60 per cent more expensive than what you buy for boys and men), trainers (everything is apparently a trainer even though it isn't officially) and socks, I have learned a lot. Not only about the various articles but also about the shops that sell them (indeed, I read all the reviews).

Apart from the fact that I feel nauseous after searching and reading so much information, the advantage of the Internet is that I do not immediately buy what I see. Perhaps because there is simply too much choice and it is easier for me to work with a list of requirements, apart from the fact that an online shop must also be affiliated to an organisation of trustworthy shops. I don't buy from a dealer, I don't pay many times more because it is an A-brand and if the service of a company is bad, I certainly don't order anything.

Sometimes I have an idea after days like with a child's socks. The search on the internet was because of the shoe size, but after I told my daughter to measure her foot I decided to do the same for another child. Suddenly it turned out that the shoe size we had always assumed was wrong. Four sizes smaller makes all the difference and that was the end of our search on the internet.

Socks are better bought in the local store where you can judge the quality and this also applies to shoes. When it comes to shoes, I went to the shops twice. It's hard to find something decent. What a mess the shoes are being manufactured today. All plastic, nylon, stuff with holes with silly soles that are definitely not good for your feet. I understand why so many people suffer from sweaty feet and athlete's foot and why walking is no longer fun these days (look on the internet how many people suffer from foot or toe deformities and how many aids are sold under the guise that this can still be corrected even though one is outgrown.). Incidentally, not all foot and toe problems are caused by the wrong shoes, a large part is also hereditary or caused by being overweight and many will never have had the luxury arch supports or other foot corrections.

After weeks of searching the internet, I finally found socks in the village shop and discounted comfy shoes in a nearby town. The only things I bought online are a pair of underpants and a nightcap, both on my child's wish list. It seems that nightcaps keep his and the hair (pillowcase?) clean and with a bit of luck you also have a warm head.

Whether the quality is good I don't know because the pictures were very small, I thought it was expensive (I'm still used to underwear that lasts almost a lifetime for a considerably lower amount).

Slowly I get some more time now that I no longer have to spend so much time searching the internet for (birthday and St Nicolas) wishes from my children. Then I go and watch old DVDs and video tapes. Last Sunday we cleared out some cupboards (more and more lack of water now that the children are getting older) and what is no longer visible is gone. It is remarkable that the videotapes from 1983 are of much better quality than the DVDs of recent years, while the DVDs have been viewed much less often.

#kittywu #freewrite #online #life #lifestyle #shopping #wishlist