Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Sign Of The Economic Times

In some ways, I think it's a good year for those of with chronic health problems that limit our ability to get out and about. 

Seems like just about everyone is offering free shipping, which I consider a godsend since it means I don't have to kill myself trying to shop in person nor do I have to pay a premium (i.e. shipping fees) to shop online. 

But I did have to cringe a little bit today when I got a call from Land's End, one of my favorite online retailers, to "thank" me for being a customer and personally offer me a free shipping code.

You know, in case I'd missed all the catalogs they send me, each of which has had a free shipping code. And it wasn't a recording either -- it was a live person on the phone line. Made me wonder how much money they're spending reaching out to customers like that.

Btw, for those who don't know, December 17 is "national free shipping day" and nearly 500 companies have signed up already to participate. Check the official website for codes and links to all the participating companies. Some, like Amazon free shipping if you spend $25, aren't all that unusual. But a lot of companies are participating who don't frequently offer free shipping, so it's a good day to place orders for things you need or want. :-)  


So how did housebound and/or folks with trouble getting around do their shopping before the Internet was around? I mean, sure there were catalogs, but ... I'm very grateful for the web!


 

1 comment:

Jeanne said...

Aviva,

Hey you! Thanks for stopping by my blog today. I was overdue to connect with you. I'm still getting used to how to best stay connected with people I used to talk with primarily on Twitter.

Like you, I shop online because my health problems make it very difficult (sometimes impossible) to do otherwise.

That call you got does make you wonder how much these companies are hurting... that they would hire someone to make live calls with a coupon code for free shipping (which you said you already knew about/had access to from the info on the catalogs themselves).

Wow, that's quite a link. It's a little too interesting. :)

Translation? Shhh, Aviva, if your readers look at that link they might (gasp!) go with one of those other-than-Amazon companies and they might wait until the 17th to shop. In the meantime, they could be taking advantage of free Super Saver shipping on orders of $25 or more using the (posted year-round) Amazon ads on my blog any time now. Haha. :)

I'm with you. I am very grateful to be able to shop online. I would not be able to holiday shop the way my parents did when I was a kid. My body simply would not be able to handle it.

It was nice to hear from you. I hope you are doing well.

Jeanne