You hear the engine fan go on as your car slowly overheats while you wait for the holy grail of a parking spot. Now, picture sitting in front of your computer, wrapped in a fuzzy bathrobe, sipping a cup of tea. Welcome to the world of Internet shopping. If you know the exact store you'd like to visit, there's a good chance there is an on-line counterpart to the physical store. Gap, Banana Republic, Macy's, Victoria's Secret, Crate and Barrel, and J. Crew are just a few typical mall stores that also sell their wares in cyberspace.
Many stores also feature coupons for first-time as well as returning customers.
You might find a nice pashmina or leather coat at this TJ Maxx of the Internet. If not, like catalogs, most stores include instructions on how to return an item, and are very reasonable in terms of time limitations. The only thing you'll have to lose is the postage to send it back, but considering all the gas you'll waste waiting in that mall line, it's well worth it. A good way to check if the site is at least superficially secure is to look in the lower left corner of your browser. Today's web security features make credit card fraud very difficult.