I have always said that food shopping online is not desirable: you won't get to choose the freshest melons, the meat will be the ugliest piece, and the milk and bread will be the one's on the shelf with the shortest date :-)
This week I purchased two large furniture items from different stores. I first tried the online sites but gave up and drove 2 miles to the bricks and mortar stores.
Major Clothing / Home Furnishing Store (UK)
One site did not have an option to pay for furnture with a credit card. You had to create an account and use their store card. Maybe there was an option to pay by credit card but I could not find it, and after email customer services about it I never had a reply.
I visited the nearest store and ordered there and then. I was surprised by two things.
1. The delivery information was different on the sales assistants screen to my browser screen - the item had an extended delivery warning notice.
2. There was no delivery charge to pay!
Minor High Street Dept Store (UK)
I looked at another item of furniture in a different store. I noticed that they were cheapest compared to other places and had a delivery charge of £36.
I went to the store to examine the item and decided to order there and then.
This time I was surprised to see that the delivery cost was only £25.
What is the point in ordering online if I can just visit the local store, get more information than I would online, and get to pay a cheaper price?
That last one is the one I don't understand. Online it is mostly automated with little overhead cost. In store I used sales assistants time and got an overall cheaper price. Doesn't seem right!
