Christmas time, a time of many festivities, is known to bring about a boom in shopping. Gift-giving is a huge part of many people’s traditions. Therefore, people flood stores and online websites to find the perfect gift for their loved ones. An eclectic range of gifts is bought, anything from perishable foods to fuzzy socks. Some people make gifts, but a larger majority of people buy their gifts. However, which method is the superior method for holiday shopping: online or in-person shopping?

Shopping in person may seem to be more personable and heart-felt. Something about the aspect of handpicking a gift stands out to some. Being able to see the gift in person before purchasing is also an important aspect to some. 

“I like to feel stuff and be able to actually see it,” junior Dakota Reinhart said.

One downfall of shopping in person is traffic: on the roads and in the stores. Buildings can get very packed with rushes of eager Christmas shoppers. On Black Friday, stores are known to be extremely busy. Roads can even be blocked up with cars trying to get into parking lots. 

“I heard that down at Ross Park Mall, cars were all the way wrapped around and onto the road,” junior Finley Paxton said. 

Online shopping can be easier when buying gifts. Just a simple click of the “buy” button saves people loads of time. Online shopping allows for people to avoid rush hours, traffic and long lines. Finding the item may even be easier; instead of wandering through isles for a specific sweater, shoppers can simply type the sweater in the search bar. 

“Online shopping is easier because you don’t have to go out and deal with people. But like, if you order something online, you can’t try clothes on. When you go somewhere you can,” junior Megan Jones said. 

A downfall of online shopping is not knowing when items will arrive. People want their gifts in by Christmas, so the unknowable variable of package arrival time could discourage buyers. When ordering something, it is not 100% guaranteed that the item will arrive on time. Packages could get lost, could be getting shipped from far away, damaged and even could sell out.

“It is so convenient to buy things online. But if it’s an important event such as Christmas, I won’t buy online because it takes too long to ship,” junior Vincenzo Fiorenza said. 

Recently, the number of online shoppers increased. COVID-19 continues to discourage shoppers from attending stores personally, so shoppers tend to lean towards websites. Statista said that in 2020, three-fourths of North American consumers bought items online. 

All in all, the steps each person takes to shop are entirely up to them. Both online and in-person shopping have positives and negatives.