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It's a virtual loot on Xmas!

This is the season of gifting, and many shoppers are opting to shop online, to do away with the traffic snarls.

Shopping during the holiday season is usually a good news-bad news kinda endeavour. The good news comes in the form of killer deals. The bad news is that you might have to sacrifice sleep to hit the stores early next morning, stand behind a queue of 200 people, and deal with the crowd just to get your hands on the right goodies. But looks like ooreans have welcomed online shopping with open arms this Christmas like never before. We talk to a few city folk who went gaga over online shopping saying, “Hell NO” to bottleneck traffic, dusty and garbage studded streets and unpredictable road tarring schedules this season offers them.

“You wake up in the morning and make plans to go shopping in the evening and some unexpected meeting/work comes up and ruins plans. I went on to order my Xmas tree and decor from an online site and got it delivered in exactly 24 hours. So, what could have taken me five hours of careless roaming on Commercial Street got done in 15 minutes. This is one thing I love about online shopping,’’ said Ayushi Guha, a digital market consultant.

Even for Maya R, who stays in Chikamagalur, the joy of Christmas gifting became two-fold as she realised the sites even deliver her presents fully gift-wrapped, and this year she has done all the Xmas shopping online. “It’s all booked and has already been delivered, now all I have to do is place it under the tree!” she says. The chaos in the city, pathetic parking facilities and non-existent roads were the main factors prompting many to resort to online shopping.

“I used to love the days when our family used to head out like an army of shoppers, marching through malls and the streets of Bengaluru, beaming with joy as we filled our bags. But that’s all gone now, the perilous traffic and lengthy billing queues are enough to make even the strongest-willed shopper weary,’’ says content writer Pritika Rao, adding, “I do miss the old charm of spacious stores and the luxury of patiently indulging in the whole experience of shopping, feeling the fabric, comparing products, colours etc. Online shopping during the festive season is a breeze these days. The product information is transparent and everything from the fabric to fit is clear. Competitive prices, super fast delivery and great return policy all are great,” says Catherine Cameron, an ad film maker.

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Subholina Sen, a singer and staunch online shopper, does ample research before carting her products.“There are a lot of sites selling the same products at different prices, so make sure to do your research. Go for a site that allows returns and exchanges. It’s always safer. Always go for cash/card on delivery,’’ says Subholina.

Meanwhile, Prachi feels that getting Christmas gifts for everyone despite hectic work schedules is the best thing about online shopping. “When Christmas is around the corner, the stress hits you when you’ve got to buy gifts for your friends or family, or even for your secret Santa! Online shopping comes as a boon as you neither have to make time of your tight schedules, specifically nor get stuck in traffic,’’ says Prachi S Jain, a student at Jain University.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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