By: Dallin Rahlf

Online shopping. A blessing and a curse. Hundreds of years ago, my parents were forced to DRIVE to the store EVRY TIME they wanted something. There was no Door Dash. No Amazon. No others people to bring you your burger you are so desperately craving, nor bring you your new flower pot you must have in two days. No, this day and age, we are blessed with the convenience of two day shipping and an endless void of products and merchandise that we can get at the click of a button. But hey, honestly it’s pretty awesome! 

Black Friday/holiday shopping + online shopping = a near perfect shopping experience. The tough thing about online shopping, which I’m sure is something in which we both share frustration, is that you can never totally let your guard down with it. You need to question everything when it comes to online shopping. IS the product really like what I’m seeing? Is this shirt going to fit me or does it just look like it fits well online? There are a few things to beware of, but fear not! I brought in a local expert or two to guide you and help you. 

Marie’s Thoughts

Marie has worked at the GetOutPass for nearly a year now and is somewhat of a shopping expert. If I were a betting man, I would feel pretty confident about putting my money on her expertise. 

Plan your buys 

What can save you from going nuts with everything you see on sale is to plan ahead. If you have a plan in mind, it’ll be tough to get distracted, and you’ll be able to navigate the thousands of other products being pushed to you with confidence. You’ll be like one of those penguins returning from a long journey to their mate and child, in which only you can hear the ultra specific call of your mate. It’s… just like that…

The best gifts are thoughtful

Marie wishes to remind us that the best presents are the biggest and flashiest thing you can find on the internet. The ones that really do well are those that come from the heart. The grinch didn’t save Christmas by returning everyone’s presents, he saved Christmas by the connection he was able to make with the residents of Whoville. That gift is much better than jo-janglers and filer-flanglers. 

Going big means going quality 

If you are going to go big on something, there is no counsel more wise than getting quality rather than something cheap. “If you buy cheap, you’ll buy it twice.” Quality products will have sales as well, and while they may not be as cheap on your wallet at this moment as opposed to buying the same thing made cheap, you’ll be happy you went with quality. Cheap things break. They don’t work as well. They might be great for a week, but sooner or later, they will show their age sooner, and you will be sad. I don’t want you to be sad. 

Leave space for Cyber Monday

Don’t feel rushed to get everything right at this moment. With all these sales going on, there may be an even better sale come Cyber Monday. Patience is key here. “Patience is for chumps!” You scream. Nay, ‘tis not. Patience is a virtue.

Dallin’s Thoughts 

Now I’m not TOTALLY worthless when it comes to online shopping. I may not have it down as well as others, but I have a couple tips and tricks up my sleeve that could serve you well. 

Watch out for fake reviews 

There are robots out there that will spam an item with 5 star reviews to make it look much more legit than it is. They might even leave some comments under the product that seem pretty legit. The reviews I tend to trust the most are those in the 3-4 star range. These people tend to be actual humans that have used the product, enjoy it enough to write about, and have some good praise and fair critique about the product. This is not to say, however, that 5 star reviews (or 1 star, for that matter) absolutely cannot be trusted. If you want to find some people that hate or love it, you may want to dig deeper and find out where you can personally chat with some of these people. Look on YouTube for some reviews, blog posts, Reddit has come clutch for me a few times when asking about a product. 

Consider things that do not require shipping 

Part of the wild hassle that is taking place from the lingering pandemic and some hundred other things is a shipping concern taking place as we speak. Some items are in shortage. I know people that still haven’t even seen a Playstation 5 because they are having such inventory problems. Same with, like, couches as well? I guess couches are really tough to get. You see my point. 

Instead of leaning towards merchandise, maybe look towards other awesome gifts. Why, the GetOutPass should certainly be one of your top choices. Getting free admission into dozens of entertainment attractions? Best Christmas gift ever! Besides the obvious, look around locally for someone your recipient would like. Art lessons, music lessons, memberships, a fun trip, something handmade, etc. Don’t limit your ideas! You just might need a tad bit of creativity, but those gifts tend to do better either way. 

Consider now so you can sleep on it 

Lucky for you, Black Friday starts early and sticks around for awhile. This means you have the chance to really start figuring out what you want to snag before the timer runs out for that juicy sale. Give yourself some time to think about it, sleep on it, and really think if it’s something you want to get. It’s very easy to get trigger happy and allow that index finger to click “buy” on just about everything you see online. Practice index finger discipline but waiting at least an hour before you get something you’re dying to get.