We all know the age-old tradition of holiday shopping- taking a trip to the mall, browsing around countless different stores in an effort to find your friends and family members a holiday gift, and, of course, waiting in that seemingly never-ending line of people, all of which have the same mission as you- to get out of there as soon as possible.

Technology has undoubtedly changed the world we live in today in many fashions- and the world of ‘shopping’ is no exception. Many people opt to shop for their gifts online, as opposed to in-store. Why? It’s simple: people want to do things the quickest and easiest way possible during this hectic time of year. There is no waiting in line, there are no masses of people trying to find gifts, there is not pushing and shoving- one simply logs onto a store’s website and browses around until the find something they like, then proceed to checkout the item, and finally have it shipped two days later. Between all the holiday parties, the organizing and planning, the family reunions and the big vacations people have in order for this time of year, making the trip out to the mall sometimes just does not fall high on one’s priority list. Shopping online makes  it quick and easy. It’s shopping without leaving the comfort of your home.

“[Shopping] online, so I don’t have to wait in line, and I can see what the best prices I can get are.” said Sophomore Erica Tang.
Why, then, do some people still shop in-stores if shopping online is so seemingly painless? Some feel that it is better to look at items in person. Sure, shopping online is not nearly as much of a hassle as actually going to the store, but by making that trip out to the mall, you can experience the items first-hand. One does not have to rely on a few images posted online and hope for the best. Shopping online allows one to see the object through a screen, but does not allow one to actually see the object first-hand, whereas shopping in-stores allows one to do so. Shopping in-stores is more of a tedious task for some and requires more time and energy, but is it better than shopping online?

“I like to shop, not online shopping because I like to see the thing in person because a lot of times the item is very different.” said Sophomore Paloma Williams.
The trend lately has been to buy your gifts online, however there are still some people who decide it time-worthy to go out and make the trip to the mall. Whether or not you decide to shop online or in-stores, it’s the thought that counts.