I like to shop. I also use the Internet on a daily basis.
Yet, for some reason, e-shopping doesn't tempt me. I don't
feel all that secure sending my credit card number into cyberspace,
and I fear opening up that shipment from J.
Crew to find a bikini that showcases more of my white
ass than anyone would care to see. I have the same complaint
about catalog shopping--after all, you can't try on mere images
of clothes. Besides, I like to peruse the racks, caress the
fabric, annoy salespeople with my questions and note-taking.
But a new online shopping service debuting recently in
Portland called
DailyShopper.com intrigued me. The press kit promised
that the service, launched in Seattle last October and now
expanding to several other markets, would help me track
down sales on everything from spatulas to soap and sneakers
in real, live Portland stores (you know, the kind with doors
you walk through).
The home page of DailyShopper.com offers several sale search
options. One lets you choose from categories, such as office,
apparel, home and garden, groceries, electronics and others.
Or you can click on specific stores to find out what sales
are available there. You won't find upscale boutiques here;
the choices are discount outlets like Mervyn's, Fred Meyer,
Target, Kmart, Sears, Wards, Home Depot and Longs Drugs.
But any savvy shopper knows that there are treasures among
the trash at these places (the Kathy Ireland collection
excepted).
I used the site's Deal Detective service to hone in on
a specific sweater I was seeking. After entering my name
and e-mail address (and unchecking the box inviting future
e-mail ads and promotions) I chose "Apparel," then "Women's,"
then "sweaters" from the varied lists. Next I was asked
to type in a description of the item I wanted--"black cardigan"
in this case--and the price I was willing to pay ($30).
I entered another search, while I was at it (annoyingly,
I had to reenter my name and address for each search). This
time I went after a "black thermal shirt" after choosing
"Apparel," "Women's" and "Activewear." When I checked my
e-mail a few hours later, I had confirmations on both searches,
and the Detective had already turned up a cardigan for me.
I cut and pasted the URL into the address window per the
instructions, which led me to details on the deal: Target
had silk-nylon blend cardigans for $14.99, with matching
sleeveless sweaters for $12.99, through Jan. 29 (unfortunately,
there were no pictures, and neither availability nor sizes
and colors were listed). I also tracked down a silk thermal
shirt (again, no pics, availability or sizes) at Big 5 Sporting
Goods through a broad search under women's active wear.
The GTE Superpages.com
link helped me locate the closest Big 5 and Target stores,
then I printed out a map and door-to-door driving directions
from my house to Big 5, and from that store to Target. The
directions to Big 5 were perfect, and I even found my silk
thermals for the price quoted. Too bad they didn't have
my size. I walked out empty-handed.
I hit the bullseye at Target, though. In addition to offering
the sale sweaters I was promised (in four colors, including
black), Target had more twin sets than a sorority house
during Fall Rush. I opted for cream in the cardigan I'd
set out to find, along with the matching sleeveless number,
a gorgeous black cashmere cardigan on sale for $17, a matching
short-sleeved sweater for $14, a black thermal shirt for
$6.20, and a stretch khaki tee for around $17.
Swinging my big bag of deals, I left Target utterly satisfied.
Navigating DailyShopper.com calls for the kind of trial-and-error
approach that surfing for info generally requires; the Detective
hadn't notified me of the cashmere sweater and thermals
on sale, but maybe my description wasn't a perfect match.
That might be what makes this method more rewarding than
most online shopping. It's like a scavenger hunt, with DailyShopper
providing the clues. If you like to shop, you probably don't
want to sacrifice the thrill of the hunt entirely, anyway.
Which leads me to believe that, despite the doomsday predictions,
online shopping might not lead to the demise of retail stores
after all.
Last week I wrote about seamstress and designer Priscilla
Burns.
You can find her at 900 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 234-9374.
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Willamette Week | originally
published February 16,
2000
|
