I never expected the phrases “Add to Cart”, “Buy Now” and “We’ll e-mail you a confirmation message when your order has been processed” to become part of my vocabulary, but they’re now part of my everyday life.
Before the pandemic, the only time I bought stuff online was from Wish, but even then, it was just little bits and pieces, keyrings, and miniature collectables. I’m the type of person who prefers to see something in person before buying it and trust me, I’ve learned my lesson from purchasing Anime earphones online and receiving a snowman’s head that served as a Christmas tree decoration. It still baffles me to this day because the product label clearly stated “Earphones”. I still have the strange decoration to this day, but I still would like to know where my original purchase ended up?
Covid-19 has taken our shopping privileges away from us; the fact we can’t even walk into a shop today and browse around is simply unforgivable. It was a weekend ritual for us, but little did we know that our ritual would be ripped away from us like a page from a notebook, the jagged edges from the two torn parts reaching out to one another as they pleaded to stay together.
Sounds a tad bit dramatic, right? Dramatic, but true! All the shops that smiled with their open doors as we entered through are now closed, our smiles wiped away as their doors shut with the unknown knowledge of when they would open again. It’s hard to know who to rely on, who to trust when it comes to the news of when the country can start to open back up again. A date is set, but it’s like a catfish Tinder date who keeps changing the date, moving it forward to the point where we give up and try to move on with something else.
Online shopping has become our coping mechanism because we’re all facing various withdrawal symptoms at this stage and shopping virtually is the only way we can medicate ourselves to keep our sanity intact. At least we can still be grateful for all the supermarkets to still be open as well as electrical and homeware stores, essential browsing in them is better than nothing, right? We need to feel that sense of normality when walking into a shop and taking a trolley or basket and shopping for the essentials and the luxuries. I get this little sense of joy when going to the small homeware sections that supermarkets have or looking through their selection of DVDs and books, we need to learn how to find joy in the little things.
Personally, I feel like online shopping gives us something to look forward to as we are living in uncertain times, not knowing when our country will open back up, not knowing when we’ll get to see people again. You feel that addictive rush when you buy something online, that small feeling of adrenaline and utter excitement and you automatically mark it down in your calendar of when delivery is to be expected.
Despite a pending due date for delivery, you still check your post box or front door every morning to see if the package arrives. There is a major feeling of disappointment when you find out that your package hasn’t arrived yet, but the feeling of excitement is so worth it at the end when you get your parcel. My postman is well used to me by now because I order so much online, but I’m starting to wonder does my Amazon logo-like smile creep him out?
