Margaret Contreras
LV Life Editor
When asked if they’d shop online or in person this holiday season, 12 out of 20 University of La Verne students said they’d do a hybrid of the two, five said they’d shop in person only, and three said they’d do it all online.
For this informal survey conducted recently on campus, most students said they’d compare online and in-person shopping sales and deals and assess their best strategies depending on the products, stores and more.
“Sometimes they don’t have it in stores,” sophomore business administration major Valencia Dixon said. “So I would look online. And then if you want to try clothes on, it’s better to do that in person so you can try them on.”
With Thanksgiving and the Black Friday weekend over, the deals for the holiday are starting to grab the attention of shoppers.
“I haven’t even started holiday shopping yet,” senior history and political science major Anthony Correra said.
According to the website BusinessDasher, over 2.64 billion people shopped online in 2023 globally. The website also finds that 40% make at least one in-store purchase once a week, while 73% of Generation Z do their shopping online.
The CapitalOne Shopping Research page finds that in the beginning of the year, particularly the first five months of 2024, people spent a monthly average of $687 billion in retail and only 15% in the online shopping market.
“One of the reasons I choose one or the other is because of the deals,” freshman Kenya Carrillo said. “Sometimes it’s just cheaper to get it online, or they have better deals in person.”
Online shopping boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the 2020 Annual Retail Trade Survey, online sales increased by $244.2 billion in 2020, rising from $571.2 billion in 2019 to $815.4 billion in 2020.
When shopping online in specific stores, if you are not able to find the item in store, you have the option to purchase it online. When shopping in the store, you can choose to order the item online, where sometimes prices are lower.
“I’m going to do both,” said freshman political science major Olivia Montoya-Lopez. “It honestly depends if they have what I want.”
Buying online and pickup in store is another option encouraged by the retailers. RETAILTODAY gives a list of reasons why you should choose this over shipping to your home, including reliability, security, efficiency and cost. Consumers concerned about having their packages stolen from their porch may find this the best option. Also having an item delivered to the store, vs. home, avoids shipping costs.
“There are times I am looking for something specific,” Correra said. “Sometimes it’s just better or cheaper either in store or online. Sometimes I just try to research which has the best deals. It’s all about the deals.”
When shopping online, depending on where you live, taxes may be higher from one state or county to another.
Margaret Contreras can be reached at margaret.contreras@laverne.edu.
Magaret Contreras is a senior communications major with a concentration in public relations. She is editorial director and LV Life editor of the Campus Times and previously worked as editor-in-chief and a staff writer.
