Online shopping in the Covid world

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Pamela1
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Re: Online shopping in the Covid world

Postby Pamela1 » Wed Jul 15, 2020 10:00 am

FAL...maybe they didn't generate enough sales from both of those countries..but as you say a shame for those living in Spain who like JL.

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Re: Online shopping in the Covid world

Postby Devils Advocate » Wed Jul 15, 2020 10:02 am

What I noticed in both Spain and here during lockdown was the attitude of small business's/shops and their obvious delight to have the feeling of power over the terrified subjects.

I saw a bar near our old casa advertise on social media with great self satisfaction they were to start home deliveries of take away meals to those lucky enough to be able to get a slot, collection on site was possible too. The way they put the methods of how this would work was cringeworthy, not a please, thank you or kiss my A*s* in the whole post. Just, "You will", "You must" "we are doing you a big favour here" totally diabloical. I'd rather munch on an unripened olive than order from them.

Same as the local bakers in the village here. "The shop will remain closed and we will not be producing what we normally do", "You will call your order through for collection only", "when you call you must not engage in chat", "You will give your name, contact number and order details in that order" "You will then wait until we call you, you will come to back of shop, you will knock twice on door and stand back" and so it went on. All whilst saying orders are not guaranteed to be fulfilled. Both outlets acted as though they were the masters of the universe.

Funny thing is both outlets were crap when times were normal and are now both whinging they may have to shut because of "lack of support from the locals"

No wonder online shopping has exploded to the extent it has. It's not the fear of Covid that I order everything online, (even the local farm butchers and green grocers offer it now) it's to avoid the over the top and surly way a lot of retail outlets have acted throughout all of this.

Shops will soon be a thing of the past I truly reckon now.
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Wicksey
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Re: Online shopping in the Covid world

Postby Wicksey » Wed Jul 15, 2020 10:08 am

Is it free to return goods you have bought online? The thought of having to send things back by post has put me off ordering clothes. Unless it's something I've bought before I think I'd still rather see it in the shop and try it on as I have taken 3 or 4 dresses in of the same size and they are all cut differently. Nowadays it's a case of trying things on in the loo in El Ingenio after I've bought them and immediately returning them to the shop as the changing rooms are shut in most places.

However, I do know my size in Decathlon so have ordered from them. Living in the campo means that it restricts what I can order, but Amazon.es and Decathlon both have pick up points at the local PO so that works brilliantly for me. The 2.49€ delivery charge with Decathlon saves a round trip of 120km.

I do use Click and Collect where it's available. Have bought a few things from Milar (local branch in Nerja). When our electric blanket stopped working after a year they exchanged without any quibble. I prefer to go food shopping (they wouldn't deliver to us anyway). I've done online shopping for my FIL in England and it has been OK for that but I prefer to be in the shop and see what's there at the time and choose my own veg. Luckily food shopping was not an issue for us during lockdown.

markwilding
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Re: Online shopping in the Covid world

Postby markwilding » Wed Jul 15, 2020 10:21 am

It is quite simple you just need to click into the right area in your account and print the returns sheet

As with everything no system is perfect. I have once had to pay for a return to Amazon and of course you must take it to the post office .A couple of weeks ago something was sent back for free and I can only recall the having to pay for the return that once.

I also had to fight a little on the UK site to get an exchange on a faulty echo which was over one year old but less than the 2 years allowed. I just stuck to my guns and it was done through chat.

But on the other hand I have seen a couple of shirts I quite like the look on El Corte Ingles website but the pictures don't give me a clear enough impression so I might pop down and check them out first. I don't mind shopping so both ways are fine

Free at Last
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Re: Online shopping in the Covid world

Postby Free at Last » Wed Jul 15, 2020 10:23 am

Pamela1 wrote: Wed Jul 15, 2020 10:00 am FAL...maybe they didn't generate enough sales from both of those countries..but as you say a shame for those living in Spain who like JL.
Maybe so, but they still offer international delivery to Estonia, Luxembourg and Slovenia and I would have thought the number of potential customers in Spain would be much larger than any of those.

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Re: Online shopping in the Covid world

Postby Miro » Wed Jul 15, 2020 4:48 pm

One thing I noticed during lockdown was so-called price gouging by third party sellers on Amazon. With non-essential shops closed, and checking competitors' prices very easy online, it was perhaps a glimpse of another downside to the inevitable death of the "high street". I wanted a new garden hose: £47 on Amazon. As well as checking Amazon in other countries to see if you can get something cheaper, there are price checking sites (such as camelcamelcamel) which are useful in showing price changes, average prices of a product over time, and setting up alerts for when prices drop. I waited until B&Q etc. were open again, and got the hose for £18 from the same seller offering it at £47 during lockdown.
B&Q tend to be quite pricey I find, and don't seem to have much competition - unlike in Malaga: Bauhaus, Leroy Merlin, Aki etc etc., but Scewfix/Toolstation are an excellent alternative and have remained open throughout lockdown, but for click & collect only. I will certainly continue to use them for all DIY type purchases as they operate a very efficient system and am happy to order that type of thing online.
I just bought a couple of T shirts online. First and probably last time buying clothes online. Definitely prefer to touch & feel first! Size & quality not what I expected. Maybe if I stick to specific brands....
We have not, and very much doubt if we ever will, do our regular food shopping online (unless we become housebound). We are lucky to live within relatively easy walking distance of several major supermarkets, and have always used food shopping as a dual purpose trip, combining fresh air & exercise - more so since our regular swimming has been on hold since March. But also, we almost always pick up something we didn't have on our list, or a bargain in the near-to-sell-by-date section, which we wouldn't get if shopping online.
Not specifically related to online shopping, but in relation to DA's thoughts about attitudes, it's disappointing to see some traders hiking prices since reopening. Mrs.M has ditched her regular hair salon after they raised their prices 25% from pre-lockdown (how much is PPE costing them?) And Wetherspoons announced price rises for reopening a couple of weeks ago, so that they could generously pass on the VAT savings from this week to their punters. It's almost as if they knew it was coming :think: Two words for that kind of treatment of loyal customers - but I can't type them here.
Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often

"Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative," Mordecai Siegal 1935-2010.

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Re: Online shopping in the Covid world

Postby Free at Last » Wed Jul 15, 2020 5:06 pm

One local business which seems to have done very well since they started doing online shopping and home deliveries during the lockdown is Russell's, the British shop in Torrox Costa. I normally go to Gibraltar once or twice a year to get such UK food products as we use, but obviously could not this Spring. They have a good website with an amazing number of products for a smallish store, and the delivery charge to Vélez was only €1.50 if we spent €60 or more. They don't even insist on payment in advance, but accept cash on delivery. Our order was delivered the next day, nothing missing and no substitutions. It was better than going all the way to the shop only to find they didn't have some things we wanted in stock, we will use them again.

Since John Lewis don't want to deliver here any more, I've managed to place an order for some clothes with House of Fraser today, hope they don't go out of business before they get here!

katy
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Re: Online shopping in the Covid world

Postby katy » Wed Jul 15, 2020 5:12 pm

I have bought more online since lockdown as there has been some great bargains at eg. Zara, Debenhams. Have bought household stuff from John Lewis, usually do click and collect from local waitrose. OH has just got some deals from Polo. More choice online than from a shop. Maybe 20 types of swimwear in a shop but 400 same store online.

Main problem for me is that there is no way to test quality, materials can be cheap looking. I recently bought a duvet set from JL and it was really thin and bad quality.

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Re: Online shopping in the Covid world

Postby Devils Advocate » Wed Jul 15, 2020 5:17 pm

Amazon for certain cashed in or tried to during lockdown, as others have said above things went up overnight. Royal Canin cat food for one. We've ordered it from Amazon for 2 years now and it's been priced on par with the local large Vet outlets. In April and May the price went crazy whilst the High street Pet food stores prices stayed the same. So we've been buying it on the high street since. They offer it for delivery too which I'll take up when masks in shops becomes a law shortly.
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Re: Online shopping in the Covid world

Postby katy » Wed Jul 15, 2020 5:23 pm

Boots have a box of masks online, quite a small box 50 masks for £35 :shock: I wouldn't be buying them if a tenner.

markwilding
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Re: Online shopping in the Covid world

Postby markwilding » Wed Jul 15, 2020 5:31 pm

In the first week when the shops reopened, I bought a sweater from a shop called Cos. I wasn’t sure if the size and they wouldn’t let me try it on so I bought 2, went outside tried them on, then returned the one I didn’t want

olive
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Re: Online shopping in the Covid world

Postby olive » Wed Jul 15, 2020 9:05 pm

markwilding wrote: Tue Jul 14, 2020 10:50 pm The problem is that as time goes on more and more people will buy online. This is irreversible so governments should be looking for ways to help high streets adapt. Rents and business rates have do reflect the value of selling from the high street as well as companies like Amazon paying a digital tax.

What I fear is the move to online shopping is going faster than governments can legislate. Covid 19 has bought forward something that is inevitable
News today. European court rules in Apples favour against the EU. They have saved 13 billion. Only the little people tax. Doesnt look good for getting the globalised companies to pay their dues does it!

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Re: Online shopping in the Covid world

Postby elusive » Wed Jul 15, 2020 10:01 pm

Nowadays it's a case of trying things on in the loo in El Ingenio after I've bought them and immediately returning them to the shop as the changing rooms are shut in most places.
--------------------
In there recently and the loo at one end was shut so bought some clothes in one shop,went into the shop next door. Picked up anything and went into their changing room to try on said clothes from the shop next door! Stupid. The shops are going to struggle as it is,as ones we have been in dont seem to have brought in much summer stock anyway and not been able to try them on is a total turn off. hardly helping the economy..

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Re: Online shopping in the Covid world

Postby gavilan » Thu Jul 16, 2020 10:24 am

I use amazon but, having read reports of poor working conditions and low pay, I am slightly uncomfortable continuing to do so ...maybe things have improved since ...
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ ... -warehouse

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5004230/a ... onditions/

gavilan
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Re: Online shopping in the Covid world

Postby gavilan » Thu Jul 16, 2020 12:25 pm

I would add that Bezos has more then sufficient funds to improve both working conditions and pay for his staff ... and unless he does so, those working conditions could be a breeding ground for the virus ... which would affect productivity and profit ...

BENIDORM
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Re: Online shopping in the Covid world

Postby BENIDORM » Thu Jul 16, 2020 1:35 pm

We've been using online buying for quite a long time, most of the previously mentioned organisations and the likes of showroomprive.es / bon marche etc. without any real problems and always had pretty good service from Correos and the courier firms.

I think all shops big and small need to use online selling to help sustain business in the future, I started with my mail order selling in 1968, sales were cronic but it got me started . ( Exchange & Mart ) :D

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Gordon

elusive
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Re: Online shopping in the Covid world

Postby elusive » Thu Jul 16, 2020 1:51 pm

We miss bonmarch at gibraltar. Buying online was always difficult with them as you get what yoy pay for and the quality and variations in size have gone down hill badly over the last few years. They appear to be on their last legs now which is a shame.hardly stocking any summer clothes. No shorts at all as i always bought them from there as everywhere else seems to think everyone wants high legged hipsters!

Ive bought a few things from sports direct but only replacments for things i already owned. Suprised they dont have a store on the cds like they have in portugal

gavilan
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Re: Online shopping in the Covid world

Postby gavilan » Thu Jul 16, 2020 2:23 pm

I note no-one as yet has picked up on my comments re working conditions of Amazon staff ... seems a bit like recent references to the slave trade ... some got very rich by exploiting others ... and doesn't matter if they die, be plenty more wanting those jobs!

katy
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Re: Online shopping in the Covid world

Postby katy » Thu Jul 16, 2020 2:39 pm

Go on the I’ll bite. You are concerned about Amazon but don’t seem bothered about Buying goods that most have been produced by slave labour. Not bothered about the low paid immigrants who live in Chabolas picking your fruit and veg for a few euro per hour either.

I resisted replying yesterday in the interests of harmony but if you are attention seeking we can oblige.

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Wicksey
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Re: Online shopping in the Covid world

Postby Wicksey » Thu Jul 16, 2020 3:12 pm

elusive wrote: Wed Jul 15, 2020 10:01 pm Nowadays it's a case of trying things on in the loo in El Ingenio after I've bought them and immediately returning them to the shop as the changing rooms are shut in most places.
--------------------
In there recently and the loo at one end was shut so bought some clothes in one shop,went into the shop next door. Picked up anything and went into their changing room to try on said clothes from the shop next door! Stupid. The shops are going to struggle as it is,as ones we have been in dont seem to have brought in much summer stock anyway and not been able to try them on is a total turn off. hardly helping the economy..
Yes the only loo that's open is down near to Dunnes so if you've bought form C&A then it's a case of trekking up and down the centre as I did with my friend yesterday. I didn't notice other shops had their changing rooms open. The amount of time it take to process the returns at the till, I would have thought it would have been more cost effective just to open up the changing rooms and give them a squirt of antibac each time!


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