Trusted Shopping Review
Buying something? Funny how things have changed so much in the last few decades. Used to be, whenever you were looking for a watch, you headed down to the local jewelers (who you knew by first name), tried all of them on and selected the perfect one. Then came mega malls, strip malls and Walmart. Specialty shops disappeared through the thousands. So did the quality and personal touch. Today, we do so much of our buying online.
It's surprising, but Mom and Grandma understand how to add items to their Amazon shopping cart and enter their card information. Even if we don't actually purchase the goods and services online, we still conduct most of our research there. You'll find countless review web pages and ratings of services can be found in each and every corner of the web. For anyone who is similar to most people, the process goes like this: 1) Search the review web sites first and based on the product reviews maybe check out specialty sites with user opinions. 2) Decide on a few options. 3) Do a price search, find coupons and buy it! It's easy to let hours fly by only to be left with 2 or 3 choices still wondering "what will be the best?"
Online reviews - Shoppers that can find reviews about an online store, whether good or bad, are less very likely to be scammed. Consumers should consider what the reviews say, but keep in mind typically the most vocal reviewers will be the few unhappy shopper who were wrapped up within an unusual bad situation, while the happy shoppers simply were happy with their purchases but did not write a review.
The good thing about this time within the history of goods and services is that you will discover more opportunities for companies to genuinely shine. Look at all the cheap crap that exists today. We are living in a disposable culture that believes new and shinier is better and it is OK to buy a brand new umbrella annually since the 5 dollar one you just purchased broke on the very first windy day. A couple of businesses are rising above this and creating quality products, then backing them with incredible customer support and return policies that the "made in China" attitude can not hold a candle to. Zappos is a good example of this.
They sell shoes online, offer exceptional products, have awesome customer support and if you don't like the Maddens UPS just dropped off at your doorstep, shipping is free both ways. Other companies like sporting good outlet REI are examples of how great a store can be in a sea of disappointment. Join their co-op and they pay you dividends annually. They additionally guarantee the products they sell for life. Did you hear that? For Life. Bought that cycling shirt in 2007 and also the left sleeve is coming unstitched? They will replace it. Rarely do you see "Lifetime Warranty" or "Unconditional Returns" anymore. Companies won't stand behind products that can fall apart quickly.
