Bourgie on a Budget: the Benefits of Online Shopping

Online shopping has been around for quite some time and has proven to have strong staying power for a few reasons. One reason is that it is convenient and available to anyone at any time. Shopping online solves the problem of not “making business hours” – it’s available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Another advantage of online shopping: no hassle of crowded malls and jam-packed lines at the register. On your screen is a virtual shopping cart, with no stress and no waiting. You are able to listen to your favorite music or watch your favorite show on Netflix while you surf the web to find the best clothing deals, all without leaving your couch. Lastly, the benefit online shopping has over in-store purchases is that you are able to purchase items internationally. There is so much more variety online, you can purchase exclusive clothing from other countries that you simply could not get your hands on in the U.S.

In online shopping, there is an excess of options, bursting with new arrivals daily. Forever21, Wet seal and G-Stage Love make this list as the cheapest and most fashionable clothing stores online. Each of these stores is easily accessible and affordable and offer cheap and essential clothing.  Forever 21 has “style deals” where items don’t reach more than ten dollars. Wet Seal consistently has clearance items, ranging from an additional 60 to 40 percent off the ticketed price. G-stage Love features flash deals, where normally priced items are slashed 30 percent.

Taylor Williams, a mass communications major here at Frostburg State, says that her favorite online store is “definitely Forever 21. You can always find cheap deals and you get free shipping after fifty dollars, which is too easy to do, unfortunately. The nice thing is the clothes are so inexpensive. You can typically get a full outfit for around fifty dollars…Tops, bottoms, and some nice jewelry to go with it. I don’t shop online too much, however, because you never know how things may look or fit on you.” Williams also likes looking at Nylon Magazine’s shop. “They have such trendy and fun clothes, accessories, and other stuff in their shop,” she says.

Florence Kargbo, a mass communication major and a senior at Frostburg State, says her favorite online shopping experience is using G-Stage Love. She says, “G-stage is my favorite because it’s the only store available online to us. The actual stores are located in California.”

Forever 21 offers fall favorites cleverly titled “The Cold Rush.” There are must-have winter beanies in an assortment of colors for $2.80, waffle -knit fingerless gloves for just $5.90 and warm winter scarves for as low as $10.80. Wet-seal offers basic 5 for $20 everyday items. At this store you can have your pick from basic seamless camis, multi-color v-neck tees, leggings and more. Pick five items and it will only cost you twenty dollars. If you are looking for accessories, G-stage Love is the best destination, you can find backpacks that start at just $14.99 in solid colors or bold patterns like tribal print, and you can buy finely crafted necklaces, bracelets and rings for fewer than ten dollars.

Online shopping can be fun, easy and time efficient. You can save money, find discounts and receive good quality clothing. That’s perfect for the busy college student.

Above image from commons.wikimedia.org.