Do you buy from the high street or online?

Ian

Ian

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A few years ago I would buy almost everything electrical/PC related from the internet, and I'd never bother with Dixons, PCWorld or other high street places.

However, it's very rare that I order large items over the net anymore (unless there is a huge price saving). Mainly because deliveries are a real pain to get (we're in a flat, so if there's no-one at home there isn't a place to leave a "we called" card).

I guess we're lucky as there are a couple of good computer hardware retailers near by that have collection counters, so that means I can get most PC bits from there. But I'd even consider going to Currys/Comet/PCWorld now as their prices have come down quite a bit since I last went there.

Are there any people here that would buy anything and everything online?
 
I do a lot of my purchasing onliine, however you are correct Ian, it is starting to become a pain to receive deliveries at home. I too live in a flat and it can be an almighty pain in the backside to make sure you're home or indeed someone else can be.

I have missed two deliveries this week alone!
 
Where possible and economical I will buy from a high street shop.

Mostly because I also live in a flat and even though I have a private lockable mailbox, the stupid courier companies refuse to leave a calling card 'as it's a block of flats'. I could understand their logic if mail landed on the floor in a communal hall area but my mailbox is as secure as any single households.

Having said that, I buy most computer components online as the greater majority are unavailable in high street stores. All I have near me is various branches of PC World whose prices are nearly always higher than online stores.

I also buy a great deal of audio components I use for work from a very good supplier in Derbyshire. Fortunately about 9 out of 10 deliveries from them can be delivered to the schools where they're going to be installed.
 
A combination of the two is very handy now. Last camera I got, I checked prices online and found Curry's the best value. In fact most of the online prices are almost identical now - I suppose they have to be to compete. So, I ordered the camera online and went down to the nearest branch, at my convenience, and there it was waiting for me at a special counter. Paid for it and out of the shop in two minutes. :)

I hate shopping so this was ideal.
 
I mainly purchase online, because there is more choice and information about the products, plus it's usually more convenient. We have made large and small purchases, usually without too much hassle, but unlike some of you, we don't live in a flat, so that probably helps.

Before purchasing, I usually check out the company's delivery policy, and I try to avoid the "long-winded" ones, or those who refuse to give any firm indication about delivery times. Amazon is excellent on that count their "Amazon Prime" service has more than paid for itself since we signed up to that :) but there are other small, but equally speedy retailers around.

We also get our groceries delivered weekly and that is a great time-saver. Sainsbury's offers a one-hour slot, so no need to wait in all day.

I'm a fan of internet shopping - can you tell?
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Niv - our Curry's has that "Order and Reserve" feature too, and recently we reserved a Philips kettle, which on the Curry's website blurb, claimed to be a "metal" cordless kettle in white, with a grey trim! When we went to collect it, it had not actually been "reserved" but was still sitting over on the display. The next "surprise" was that it was not metal as described, but plastic. :eek:

 
Books, CD's & DVD's on-line as they are mostly cheaper, but ASDA & Tescos are starting to lower prices.
Heavy bulkier items from the high street shops normally & yes pcworld are starting to offer cheaper prices!
 
I have only starting shopping on line in the last year....mainly cos i was kinda scared i'd be ripped off. But i have grown since then lol and now i buy quite a bit. The delivery can be be a pain to as it usually means a visit to the sorting office cos i'm never home due to work etc.
I must say that if you buy online, you miss the whole shopping day out, which for me somedays may be the only reason i get out of the house....saddo, yes, i know.;)
Having said that, its like christmas when the parcels arrive.
 
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feckit said:
Books, CD's & DVD's on-line as they are mostly cheaper, but ASDA & Tescos are starting to lower prices.
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I forgot about CDs/DVDs/Books actually :o I buy them quite often from Amazon/Play as our postie can just leave them on top of our letterbox (well, most of the time) so I don't need to collect them. I still use HMV/Waterstones, but only for impulse purchases normally.
 
I have almost always bought CD's/DVD's/Books on-line from Amazon. Sometimes I end up at Half Price Books where I can browse a large selection of music in different formats and at times pick up gems which I would otherwise miss out on-line. No its not at half price really but they also have a lot marked clearance where you could easily pick up an album practically new for anywhere between $1-3. However, I can do it only when I have a couple of hours to spare.

Small electronics I would still buy from Amazon and Laptops too on-line. I even bought shoes on-line a few times from Amazon.
 
Abarbarian said:
I'm suprised you folk with businesses don't have Makro and Costco cards.
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I do :)

They're not all that good though, Richer Sounds beat them hands down on TV prices, for instance.

About all I ever buy there is loo rolls, washing tablets, gallons of bleach and some foods in bulk. I do save a few bob there, all the rest is just the same as high street stores available to the public and sometimes more expensive.
 
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