Online Shopping vs In-Store: Why Home Delivery Saves You Cash

Another parcel is plonked onto my doormat, and I'm still in my dressing gown sipping a morning coffee. Life is good.

Why waste your weekend going shopping when you can get someone else to do the legwork for you? My toaster broke last week, but instead of making a special trip to the local supermarket or retail park, I hopped on eBay and ordered a replacement with free delivery. The whole process took about ten minutes.

But what's actually wrong with heading off to physical shops? When I compare online shopping vs in-store shopping in Australia, physical retail has two massive hidden costs:

• 1. The Time Tax: Making a trip to the shops is a huge time sink. You've got the commute, the battle for parking, wandering around the aisles looking for what you need, and queuing up. Are any of these experiences enjoyable or productive? Hardly.
• 2. The Cost of Impulse Buying: The second you step foot inside a shopping mall, you enter the 'advertiser's lair.' Stores are literally designed by psychologists to trick you into spending. You go in to buy a $30 toaster and leave with a $300 cart of goods because of glowing "Special Offer!" and "Two-for-One!" signs. If you want to avoid impulse buying, staying out of the stores is step number one.

You could argue that at least you're getting some steps in while marching around the shopping centre. But wouldn't it be much nicer to stroll through a local park surrounded by trees, thinking about things that actually make you happy, rather than dodging crowds under fluorescent lights?

Ditching the shops and choosing online delivery isn't lazy—it's a calculated financial strategy to protect your time and your bank account. Is traipsing around the shopping centre still worth the mental and financial cost for you?