No matter where you fall on the Postconsumer “enough” scale, from minimalist to working-to-reduce-consumption, at some point we all have things that we need to buy. Part of being a Postconsumer isn’t just about how much you buy, it’s also the choices you make about how you buy. There’s a fairly large divide between the pros and cons of buying online versus buying in an actual store when it comes to being a responsible consumer and even a responsible citizen. We thought that we’d take some time today to talk through them.
Shopping Online: Avoid the Consumer Rush and Impulse Purchases but Increase Carbon Footprint Miles
The first thing to think about when you consider the benefits of shopping online is that you need to immediately dispel the myth that shopping online is more eco-friendly because you’re not taking out your car and driving to the store. Yes, it’s true that you are not personally adding vehicle fumes to the pollution and environmental problems we all face. However, those products are getting to your doorway somehow. And instead of being centrally shipped to a store, they are being trucked into your local community and in smaller boxes (ie: more packaging) than had they been shipped in bulk to a store location. So while there are many benefits to shopping online, reducing “consumer miles” isn’t one of them!
There are some ways that shopping online can make you a better (post)consumer though. While online stores do their best to transition you into impulse buys and upsells with suggested products you might like and a barrage of follow-up emails, the experience is a more controlled one. You are not distracted by people, noise and salespeople in your face. It is easier to make wiser (and possibly better) choices. It’s also easier to cross compare prices and to find out background information about the products that you’re considering buying when you’re in front of your laptop.
The biggest risk about shopping online is the trap of free shipping. Just stop for a moment and think about how many times you’ve bought extra items that you didn’t need just because you wanted to get to the free shipping cutoff. Remember, those free shipping thresholds are set for a reason. At the price point at which you’ve gotten free shipping, the store has made enough money to realize a profit even after they give you the free shipping.
There’s something to be said for the ability to make controlled decisions within the comfort of your own home rather than in the midst of the consumer beast and with more information at your fingertips. There are consumer benefits to online shopping!
In-Store Shopping: Reduce Packaging and Support a Local Economy But With Greater Risk of Impulse Purchases
The benefits of shopping in your local store seem obvious. You can reduce packaging buy using your own bags. The consumer miles of you driving to your store are likely less than those of an online purchase being shipped to you – and even fewer if you can bike, walk or take public transportation. And, of course, you’re supporting your local economy. Of course, you need to make wise decisions about where you choose to shop in this case. While it’s nearly impossible to avoid them altogether, attempting to shop in locations other than big box stores and discount stores will help to ensure the sourcing and proper employee treatment of the retailers and products you support. In some cases, shopping locally even means that you can buy locally sourced products!
But buyer beware! In-person shopping in most of America (and for that matter the western world) can mean having to go into larger stores and shopping complexes that are designed to make sure that you feed on your emotions and impulses to buy as much as possible. Deep discounts, pushy sales people and in-store displays of products conveniently placed right where you’ll encounter them and be convinced that you “need” them will up your consumer take-home in most cases.
What’s the Takeaway?
In reality, the truth is that shopping online is probably a better option if you’re trying to reign in consumer habits. You’ll be able to do more research, step away from the screen for a moment and even potentially have access to a broader range of eco-friendly and socially conscious products that may not be available in your local stores.
However, shopping locally can actually reduce the number of consumer miles and amount of packaging used on an item and may actually be environmentally more sound.
What’s the right thing to do? Find a healthy balance, but more importantly learn to identify and control consumer habits so that you only buy what you want, when you want it and using the (post)consumer criteria that matter to you!
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Related Information
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Photo Credit: Dan Barbus via Flickr
