Last month I needed a new pair of glasses, I knew exactly what lenses I needed and I had a rough idea of the style which I was looking for. Like so many of us, I took to the web and began searching for online retailers which had what I was looking for. There are obvious benefits in shaping for such an item online, I knew I could get it cheaper, I may even get the product quicker and of course, I didn’t have to leave the home. During that search however, I began thinking about the high street, and its death mainly, and this prompted me to change my online search for ‘glasses near me’. I went out and bought the product and here is why we have to do this more.
Table of Contents
Getting The Right Product
There are some items which you can buy online which you already know the quality and the feel of. This however is something which I don’t apply to a product such as a pair of glasses. There is something far different about actually getting the product in your hands and feeling the weight and the quality of it. We can always send stuff back if it arrives and the quality isn’t good, but it is far easier to go out there and get it on your own.
The Eco-Friendly Option
There is a school of thought which says that buying online is actually the greener option but this is not really something which I can get behind. In reality I’d say that the picking and the shipping of the product racks up more mies and gas usage, which of course is not good for the planet. Beyond this if we take a look at the incredible amount of packaging which is used, all of which needs to be recycled but probably often is not, I’d say that the online choice was not the greener one.
What Do We Become?
My biggest issue, and the main reason why I decided to go out for those glasses instead of shopping online, is that I genuinely worry about what we turn ourselves into. There are becoming fewer and fewer reasons for us to go out anymore, other than to eat and socialize. If we completely automate the high street and we just set up distribution centers across the country, then what are we all supposed to do with our time? Where will the community exist? This is a very real threat to society and it is something which concerns me. Online shopping of course makes a great deal of sense on many occasions, but we have to remember that there is a balance to be struck here.
If this year has taught us anything it is the importance of getting outside, and living life, through slowing down the rate at which we are ordering things online, we can find that perfect balance which we all need.
