Covid-19 Changed The Way We Shop

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rugchomp

Member
Dec 16, 2015
179
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COVID-19 came as a surprise to us and has changed the way we live and the things we did on a daily basis. When it comes to shopping, would you go to a mall and shop like you used to, or would you rather go online shopping just to be sure you are safe?
 
I shop online and in stores, which are still open. Where I live it's required to wear a mask in public places/outdoors. I always carry hand sanitizer and wash my hands when I come home. The only thing I don't do anymore is test out beauty/make-up products. These days I gravitate towards online shopping more.
 
I have been in a few stores with a mask, of course, which is required. I don't think it's much different than having to go to the grocery store. The stores have not been that busy. I do not walk through the malls or spend a lot of time. Some things are just better for me to see in person before I purchase. I have also have had a few bad experiences shopping department stores online with poor packaging. I still shop online mostly, though, and have found that the online prices can sometimes be much better than in the stores.
 
I do both for essentials I go in person to pick up items. Malls I am only available for weekends which I did not do pre-covid. I try to do retail stores in locations where there is not much crowds. High end designer stand alone boutiques there is a wait time to be paired up with an Sa if the time is more than twenty minutes to get inside the boutique I do not shop at that location its not that serious. Right now I refuse to line up to go into Costco, Walmart, Target or any other large box stores.
 
I buy most of everything online and have it delivered. On rare occasions if I am looking for something in particular that's more local and harder to find, I'll go to the store.
 
We switched to online ordering of groceries during the lockdown. But these days I do it out of laziness, unwilling to schlepp kg of veggies and fruit. We still go to the supermarket downstairs 1-2 a week if stuff like eggs or milks were used up earlier than expected. I also prefer going to the drugstore in person than waiting for things to arrive (and trying to get to the minimum order amount for free shipping. hate paying for shipping). I'd say my random ordering off amazon is still at a similar level to pre-covid.
 
I switched to instacart for groceries but I had to go to stores when I needed things that day (like my microwave and keyboard both breaking!).

But anything I can get online I am. But I sure hate dealing with responsibly disposing of all the packaging.

I have not found stores to be predictable at all.

Went to Target and heard a woman in best guess her late 20s there with I assume her toddler daughter telling her friend “oh I’m sorry we stayed at your place the other day. We both tested positive”. So she was leisurely shopping in the store with her daughter and they both tested + for covid-19 is my guess. :mad::cursing:

Macys was completely empty when I went. The only other person was a woman in her 80s walking around with an oxygen tank attached to her and I wanted to say why are you there, because there is no way she was not high risk. But I guess at that stage in life one is like anything can kill me...idk?

If everyone has a mask on correctly (lol most don’t) and stays apart then the risk is low but not zero.

My local post office let a whole family in with no masks in August and no one said anything.

So in person shopping is only when it is necessary for me.

I get too annoyed by people who don’t show courtesy.

I’m trying to support small businesses through Etsy and eco friendly companies as I have been switching products during the pandemic.

My needs have also changed during the pandemic too, so I haven’t needed to shop for the same things I used to.
 
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I do both for essentials I go in person to pick up items. Malls I am only available for weekends which I did not do pre-covid. I try to do retail stores in locations where there is not much crowds. High end designer stand alone boutiques there is a wait time to be paired up with an Sa if the time is more than twenty minutes to get inside the boutique I do not shop at that location its not that serious. Right now I refuse to line up to go into Costco, Walmart, Target or any other large box stores.

So in search of a microwave when mine broke I went to both Target and Walmart and did not observe this. Walmart was way more crowded than Target. This might be a state to state thing. Actually the in-person check out had no wait at Target but self-checkout had a huge line. I tried to do pay online curbside pickup for Walmart and found out they didn’t do it at the store I went to so that was annoying.
 
So in search of a microwave when mine broke I went to both Target and Walmart and did not observe this. Walmart was way more crowded than Target. This might be a state to state thing. Actually the in-person check out had no wait at Target but self-checkout had a huge line. I tried to do pay online curbside pickup for Walmart and found out they didn’t do it at the store I went to so that was annoying.

I always find Walmart to be more crowded than target, but I have no clue why. Prices are sometimes better at target and it always seems cleaner and more pleasant than Walmart.

People here are shopping normally for the most part, just wearing masks and the occasional face shield while out and about. It’s not zero risk even with masks but I do think it’s lower risk than some other activities like indoor dining or school.
 
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