Recently I have been interested in buying a new sweatshirt. My criteria was that it had to be comfortable, creative, and affordable. Whenever I shop online I always enjoy using Etsy. I feel guilty whenever I use amazon or other sites that may not be treating workers as well. However I do believe that the convenience and prices of those sites will often compromise my morals! But for the online portion of this assignment, I will be browsing on Etsy. After putting “çomfy sweatshirt” into the search bar, I was immediately bombarded with many options. While exploring the search criteria there are several things I consider. The credibility of the seller, the cost of the item, and the design of the item. Once an item peaks my interest I can view more images and consider sizing options. Upon clicking there are several images and often a detailed description explaining why you need this item. There is a sense of urgency that comes with online shopping, text boxes stating “20 people have this in their cart” or “only 2 of this item left” makes you almost want to buy it without even thinking! One perk of online shopping is that you never have to worry about a sweatshirt not being your size as you can simply just change the size with a click of a button. Overall the experience on Etsy is very easy to use and can give you very specific items you may be interested in. However there is a sense of urgency that makes shopping stressful or very wallet draining!

Shopping in-person is a very different experience. Walking into stores there is immediately a different “vibe” from store to store. Specifically at New Paltz there is also a very friendly energy when you walk into stores! Some stores burn incense and have relaxing music playing to have a comforting energy. Other stores have rock music and band sweatshirts to match the environment. Talking with shop owners sometimes can be a little stressful as sometimes there is also an urgency to buy sometime. However there is a significant connection with browsing rather than scrolling. In the case of a sweatshirt, you can hold it to your body and see how it would look on you, some stores even allowed me to try it on. This connection to the item makes it difficult to not immediately purchase! Knowing that I don’t have to wait a few days for shipping is also a great perk of in person shopping. Being able to feel the fabric and know that the sweatshirt is soft makes for additional sensory enjoyment that scrolling does not provide. Overall I do agree with doing more browsing rather than scrolling, taking the time out of your day to explore and enjoy stores and sweatshirts makes for an overall more rewarding and fun experience!