Shopping Reconnaisance

I usually do some scouting before I hit the streets for any shopping trip. I used to do this even before I had Ethan just to save myself some time. There are only a few select times that I'm up for hitting several stores just browsing until I find what I want. Usually, {especially if it's just something we need}, I want to get in and out and home as soon as possible.

This is how my recon usually goes before my actual shopping trip:

1. Look online to determine where to go. If I were looking for some spring/summer tops, I could look online at several stores and see what they have at the time. I can often eliminate entire stores this way and I never have to set foot in there to discover that they don't have what I want. Now, sometimes there is different merchandise in store vs. online. But still, this can save you some time. Even better...sometimes I'll find something online and if they offer free shipping {or I can find a coupon for free shipping} then I just go ahead and buy it online if I don't need it right away and I already know my size.

2. Look online to find the lowest price. The other day I was looking for something for our home and we could get it at one of several different stores. By comparing prices before I went out, I didn't have to do the comparison shopping in person. And again, if the right deal presented itself, I could just go ahead and buy online. But, if nothing else, I can go to one store confident that I'm getting the best deal and not running all over town to find it.

3. Look at mall maps online for convenience. Any time I visit a mall I am not familiar with or a store {inside a mall} that I'm unsure of it's exact location, I look up the mall website for a map of their stores. This way, I can park at the nearest entrance to that store so I'm not walking up and down the mall to get where I want to go. Sometimes I may be in the mood {or have the time} to browse, but usually, I'm not. And also...browsing makes me want to spend more money than I really want or need to spend anyway!

What did we ever do without the internet?