Electronic Yuletide Shopping

Diamonds don't come from the wars zones of Sierra Leone; they come from the war zones of Iraq.

John Suther, 42, a Las Cruces resident, spent last Christmas in Talil, Iraq. He was in a war zone away from his wife, children, and country. He didn't have a Christmas tree, festive parties with friends, or even shops to buy his loved ones gifts. What he did have was chemical warfare gear, a helmet, a weapon, and a depressed disposition. This was absolutely the worst Christmas of his life.

All this in mind, Suther was able to give his wife absolutely the biggest diamond of her life. He said, "I was in a war zone missing my wife so I bought her a ring." It seemed so simple.

Naturally, he couldn't don his protective gear and head to Bagdad to shop; he simply went online to Zales.com and bought her a 1 carat eternity ring, princess cut. Suther bragged, "I was only too happy to do it." Online shopping at Christmas-time, no matter where you are, is big business and like everything else, it has its advantages along with its disadvantages.

Speaking of advantages, another online shopper, Donna Wieters, an entrepreneur, just bought a new Dell computer for Christmas. She was not too familiar with online shopping and decided it was a completely different experience. Wieters said, "Different because it was computers. It was something I didn't know anything about." She took a risk when she ordered it.

Immediately after the purchase, Wieters was quite freaked out over the fact that she bought a high-priced item and she had no tangible proof that she even bought something. Wieters recalled, "When you buy something in a store you leave with something in your hand." This certainly isn't the case when one shops online. The proof of purchase comes as an email confirmation.

As to the advantages this new concept gave her, she said, "It was a trade-off. I didn't have to feel embarrassed when speaking to a store rep because of my lack of knowledge. I just researched the info online and bought one." And a new online shopper was born.

Many people experience the wonder of online shopping. The most prevalent advantage is the efficiency of it.

Judith Price, a homemaker in San Antonio, does all her shopping electronically. She's purchased everything from organic meats and teas to prescription drugs and clothing. She said, "Online shopping is very easy, fast, stress free and saves time, gas and wear and tear on the car." She shops so frequently she said, "I can hit 5 different shops in one day." Price plans on doing all her Christmas shopping online and will be a big spender at RedEvelope.com and even NeimanMarcus.com because she feels that it's cheaper online than in the stores.

Online shopping experts can attest to the money saving opportunities of online shopping.

Eva Yusa, the marketing manager for ShopLocal.com, knows all too well that comparison shopping is a must for saving a few dollars this season. Yusa said, "Check out a comparison shopping site like ShopLocal.com and compare online and in-store prices and know how much you should pay for a particular product."

With these festive yuletide products online, it's hard to imagine any disadvantages but there are.

How about the credit card risks? Yusa, recommended only shopping at secure sites. She reassured us, "Knock on wood, I've never had any problems when buying online." But not everyone has been that lucky.

Judith Price recalled that she received a call from her credit card company about a compromised site. Price didn't like the inconvenience of having to get a new credit card. Luckily, this isn't an everyday occurrence.

The ultimate disadvantage of online shopping is the fact that one cannot physically touch the item before purchasing it. Nor can one see the actual color of an item. This causes a lot of heartache for some people.

Elena Suther, 18, a New MexicoStateUniversity student, recently purchased an article of clothing from Delias.com, the online store for the hip chicks. Unfortunately, and to her disadvantage when she received it, it was nothing like what she thought she ordered. Suther said, "Clothing isn't a good thing to buy online because you don't know how it will fit or look on you."

Moreover, if you're a last minute shopper one of the realities you need to be aware of are the extra costs for shipping. This can be quite expensive and quite confusing. A 2 day expedited delivery can cost more than the gift you want to send.

To avoid the expensive costs, Eva Yusa recommended, "ShopLocal.com can help you find items online and then direct you to the stores near you that carry the items you're looking for so you get your gifts when you need them." This is crucial at Christmas-time.

So what are the hot items online for Christmas this year? Yusa makes it her business to know this answer. Yusa's gift ideas include the Nintendo Wii, the iPod 1GB Shuffle, and simply anything made of cashmere. She pronounced, "Nothing is warmer and more luxurious than cashmere."

Will John Suther's wife be getting cashmere this year? Only Christmas morning will tell. Suther, incidentally, returned safely from Iraq and has since retired from the military. So does he plan on doing his Christmas shopping online? You bet! He has already started at sites like Amazon.com and Bestbuy.com