My favorite pair of sneakers are my New Balance 654 tennis shoes. I purchased them at a charity store two years ago for three dollars. They’re comfortable and durable and have a retro sort of look. I wear them basically every day. The only issue is that they are disgusting to look at. While the shoes themselves are perfectly intact, the paint has all but flaked off entirely. My shoes look like they have a terrible skin condition. They weren’t in the greatest condition when I bought them used, and the situation has only gotten worse.  

I’m not sure exactly when this style of New Balance was manufactured, but I do know they can no longer be bought new. I have made it my mission to find a new (used) pair online. It’s been a long and harrowing process. When I was home for Thanksgiving, I sat down for another online search. I got into a comfortable position in the recliner, my feet donned in thick, fuzzy socks, a cup of coffee on the table next to me. To my back was the big bay window that faces my front yard. Snow blanketed the neighborhood. I looked up new balance 654 size 6 on Google and scrolled through the images tab. Clicking on individual images shows a grid of related items, which I checked out as well. My options were very limited. There aren’t many New Balance 654 tennis shoes being sold online, and none of them are a women’s size 6. The closest thing I’ve gotten to what I’m looking for is a size 7. Once or twice during my search I thought I had found a listing of the correct size. I excitedly clicked to Poshmark, thinking I had found just the thing I was looking for, just for my heart to sink as I scrolled through the listing, realizing the size had been labeled incorrectly by the seller. However, my disappointment wasn’t long-lasting, and right away I x-ed out of the site, banishing the offending tab from my laptop screen. 

For the browsing portion of this assignment, I went to two different locations. First, I stopped by a Marshalls. I was on the lookout for a new pair of silver hoops to replace a hoop that I had lost recently. I prefer Marshalls when it’s not so busy, and the day I went it was packed with holiday shoppers. This made the experience less enjoyable. The second shopping location was a charity shop–the very same thrift store where I had found my New Balance sneakers. I love thrifting (it’s sustainable and cheap), and this particular thrift store is one of my favorites. It’s located inside a converted duplex on a quiet residential street. While I didn’t have any particular item I was looking for, the trip was successful, and I left with four clothing items and a pair of earrings. The total cost was under $20, and this made me very happy. I also tried on many things that either didn’t fit or I realistically didn’t think I would actually wear. I went with my mom on both shopping trips. I like shopping with her because we pick out things that we think the other would like.  

Looking back at my observations and reactions during both experiments, I can come to a few conclusions. Shopping online definitely has its advantages. I like the comfort of shopping without ever having to leave my couch, and I also like that I have the ability to cross-reference prices across different sites. I even have an extension on my laptop that applies any discounts at check-out. But online shopping, or scrolling, also has some glaring issues. Clicking different links and having many different tabs open quickly clogs up my laptop interface and becomes visually overwhelming. When shopping online, you must account for shipping costs and other fees. Shipping can be especially high on secondhand sites like Depop, Poshmark, and Ebay. Lastly, shopping for clothing or shoes online does not allow you to try things on. Although I don’t purchase many clothes online, when I do, I will typically purchase an item in two sizes, so I am able to determine which fits better.  

In person shopping, or browsing, is more engaging and has a social component to it that scrolling does not. When I go shopping with my mom and sister, it is less about spending money, and more about spending time with each other. I would consider a disadvantage of in-person shopping to be that stores can get really busy, especially around the holidays, and this can make having a good shopping experience more difficult.