Shopping online…easy, but personally, highly overrated.

Now that I am sequestered on a desert island without running water, flushing toilets and even a basic kitchen to slice and dice and feed my doggie, I am living online.

The best part is that my internet went down as I began composing this post. I immediately reached out to Verizon, but my cell did not work in my new disaster, I mean home.

Locating a pay phone in Pacific Palisades isn’t a given. Thankfully, the supermarket still engages in Stone Age practices. I cried which isn’t difficult these days and threatened to drop Verizon just like all my calls and internet have been doing since last Friday.

Surprise…they succumbed to the tears and sent out a technician who finally fixed the hook up…here’s hoping it lasts.

So, I am up and running for the time being…running being the operative word as I forgot to mention that I am once again the Hunchback of the Pacific. I think the stress finally hit me and my back is positioned at a right angle. Driving is no longer an option so I took Uber to the pay phone and in my mood, let’s hope my rating isn’t below a 4.

I am on my back again and letting my fingers do the walking along the keyboard.

Choosing granite, quartz or backsplash off a computer screen is downright impossible. Depth and true color are an optical illusion.

Moving forward, trust whether online or in conjunction with another human, is a huge issue after having the hammer come down on us from a totally rude, unprofessional and irresponsible contractor…wow, were we fooled.

I cannot indulge in retail therapy online either. On the rare occasions that I have purchased online, I end up sending back the merchandise. Trying items on are a must and I have to feel the garment. I must confess to being a tactile person.

Cyber Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving where there are sales galore to entice people to shop online, holds no interest for me. I only shope online if I know exactly what I want such as a book. Then I have no trepidation.

According to a new survey, I am on trend with “webrooming”…browsing online before buying in a store. A large majority of consumers are employing this technique.

For me the best use of online shopping is being updated on new items in store at a JCrew, what hot shoes are debuting at Christian Louboutin or which refrigerator would be perfect for my non-existent kitchen.

The results may help explain why many retailers say they are intensely focused on building what’s known as an omni-channel retail strategy, providing a more seamless experience among the retailers’ digital and in-store properties.

The focus on omni-channel selling is showing up in a variety of ways in the retail industry. Stores such as Nordstrom, Sears and Apple are offering customers an option to buy their goods online and pick them in a nearby store.

Gap said on its most recent earnings conference call that it is testing a new “order-in-store” option in about 30 locations, in which customers at their brick-and-mortar stores can place an online order from within the shop.

People still want to purchase up close and personal. It is also a great excuse to spend the day shopping with your daughter or best friend and then do a Ladies Who Lunch afternoon.

Happy shopping!