The Bare Necessities

I hate paper. I mean, loathe it.  I have a shredder that I empty out constantly.  I get most of my bills online, and if I get a paper statement I freak out. 

So...why do I have so much paper lying around my house?

I guess that's a rhetorical question (especially since my husband is the opposite, and he saves EVERYTHING).  But it's funny because I checked the mail, where I still get my paper magazines (oy), I got a postcard in the mail. On one hand, it's funny these haven't been rendered obsolete, direct mail campaigns (though I have a friend who is a marketing genius who swears by them). But I saw that I had a coupon, and since I love saving money, I decided to look at it, see if it's something I would use.

Turns out, the family of diapers.com and soap.com is offering a pets-centered necessity site, wag.com.  Since I have two cats, this is another thing I took pause to keep around, and take note.

Why is that?  Well, basically, I live in a city, and since I have to walk and take mass transit mostly everywhere, buying stuff in bulk generally doesn't make much sense.  Petco opened a smaller scale store about four blocks from my apartment; however, they stopped carrying the items I went in there specifically to buy (even Petco-centered items, go figure).  The closest Petco that carries the items I need is about 20 blocks away.  But the biggest pain is that we need to figure out a way to get it back. My husband found out that the cat litter we buy is now heavier by five pounds!  I know, such is life of a crazy cat lady.

Anyway, I got to thinking about the bigger picture, of online store formats like drugstore.com, soap.com or wag.com.  I feel like many of these places are invented to make my life easier, and I'm sure others feel that way.

On one hand, I see that there is a need for a tangibility of going to stores, looking at items, especially clothing to judge material, to try them on, etc.  But stuff that we KNOW we are going to use, like moisturizers (I'm a girl, get over it), pet items, diapers for the kids, is it necessary to have to make the trip to the store, hope they have it in stock, and then make it back with said items?

Another thing?  I find it eliminates the "impulse purchase."  Like, if I go to a store, I might buy a pack of gum or treats for the cats, or see if they have a new toy.   Plus, free shipping and not having to schlep this stuff up stairs or across avenues...what's not to love?

The bare necessities of life aren't becoming obsolete, but the means in which we pursue and consume these items is becoming easier and eliminating the brick-and-mortar ways in which we are used to conducting commerce.