6 minute read
Online vs In-Person Shopping
“I prefer online shopping just because I feel like I can never find my size in stores and I can never find things that I like. Especially if I am picky about something and I want a specific style, a lot of stores don’t have it, and stores that do are smaller online stores,” junior Chase Zeller said.
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THE Online vs. In-Person
SHOPPING DEBATE
Is online shopping better than in-person?
written by: Makena Dickens
Online shopping has risen in popularity, causing some people to lose their favor for in-person shopping. With stores being able to ship a person’s clothes right to their doorstep, in-person shopping has declined. Another factor of in-person shopping decreasing could be the recent pandemic. COVID-19 has effected businesses in multiple ways. During COVID-19, online shopping became extremely popular, and some people still use it today. “I like online shopping because there is more variety. There are just more choices and there are lots of websites, and they all ship to you so you do not have to leave your house,” sophomore Nicole Chen said. Even with the tremendous amount of benefits that come with online shopping, some people prefer the experience and ambiance of in-person shopping. “It is kind of like a mix. I like thrift stores a lot, so I usually go there. Sometimes I will go online shopping to see what I can find there, but I like going in-person so I can try on the clothes,” senior Ethan Decker said. If a store does not have room, or simply just does not want to carry it, they can usually put the item in their online store, hopefully satisfying customers and their budget. Because of online shopping and the recent pandemic, stores have been closing around the Liberty and Kansas City area. This could limit the amount of places to go around the area, and could cause some people to lose hangout spots that they frequent with their friends. “I think it sucks because I love to shop and I think it is fun to go with your friends. I do like online shopping, but it is not really the same, because you do not really get to look at the stuff,” senior Elaine Drottz said. COVID-19 could also be a key reason as to why some stores are closing. With customers not able to go to stores due to the pandemic, that might have affected some businesses’ revenue, especially if they do not have an online store.
Zona Rosa has been impacted by COVID-19. It is a outdoor shopping mall in KC. “A lot of buildings are closed. It looks like no one is there,” sophomore Maddie Steiger said
photos by: Rorey France
“It is definitely a lot of small businesses that are closing and that can be really bad. But I do not really notice it because I shop online almost exclusively when I do shop or I just go to Target,” junior Chase Zeller said. Small businesses could also be feeling the effects of online shopping. With the recent pandemic, traffic in brick-andmortar stores has already slowed down, and adding online shopping, small businesses could be feeling some strain. “I would say maybe small businesses, but not necessarily bigger brands. If anything it is probably helping the bigger brands,” senior Connor Benson said. If customers exclusively shop online, and a smaller business does not have an online option, then that business could suffer, and not be able to generate as much revenue as they could have if they had an online store. “I feel like if stores cannot have an online part to their store, then they might not do very well. Especially clothing stores, because you only have so many people that can come into the stores, but if you were online you can probably do whatever you want,” Zeller said.
Zona Rosa has experienced a loss of stores. They have recently opened a new part.. “There aren’t many stores left, lots have closed” senior Elaine Drottz said.
Malls to the Halls
What were malls like when you were a teenager?
ELA teacher Greg Wickham
Math teacher Stephanie Taylor
Math teacher Chris Becker
Business is
Booming
Back in Time Comics and Toys has had success during COVID-19
written by: Makena Dickens
Back in Time Comics and Toys is a local business in Liberty, MO that has benefitted from the recent pandemic, and has been able to move from a completely online store to a brick-andmortar business. It is run by Avid teacher Lisa Nicewaner and her husband, deabate teacher Sean Nicewaner “It is a retail store where we sell vintage comics and vintage toys. People can sell us their items, we also have a trading system,” Nicewaner said. Back in Time is located here in Liberty, and their extensive collection of vintage items is very impressive. With the recent pandemic, some business have been suffering, but for Back in Time, the pandemic has had the opposite effect. “COVID-19 has been good for us. There has not been Comic-Cons up until recently, so the entire time it was shut down, people were just dying for this kind of nitch. We are making 200% more than what we thought we would be making,” Nicewaner said. The Nicewaners were able to move their business into a brick-and-mortar store in July of 2020. Like for some big transitions, there were some things that needed to be done before the in-person store could open. “We had to get insurance to make sure that if there was an accident or if something would catch on fire we would be able to recoup damages. We also had to set up an LLC which means that we can claim our business name. We did not know everything that we had to do to set up a business. There was a lot of googling, a lot of asking other people,” Nicewaner said.
COVID-19 did not effect Back in Time Comics negativley. At the moment, both the physical store and online shop are open. “It has been really wonderful to meet all these new people,” Avid teacher Lisa Nicewaner said.
Back in Time Comics opened in July 2020. They sell vintage toys and comics.“Going into a phyical store has helped expand our customer base,” Avid teacher Lisa Nicewaner said.
Photos courtesy of Lisa Nicewaner