A member of the club

I must confess... until today I had never made an eBay purchase! That's right... I have a paper which I create on the computer, I have a blog, I have two emails (one business, one personal) and I play scrabble via email, but I had never made a purchase through eBay.

I am amazed by the amount of items that are for sale there. Can't say what I was looking for (Christmas time, you know?!) but when I did a search I came up with a huge number... then I refined my search and still came up with a huge number. I did a sort and was able to find just what I was looking for at a price I thought to be reasonable. (Maybe it was and maybe it wasn't... who really know?!) I set up a PayPal account and off I went... all from the comfort of my desk. And it isn't like I was shopping alone... hundreds of thousands of people do it every day, so I am sure someone made a purchase at just the same time as I did!

After I completed my transaction (pondering whether I should go and celebrate with a nice, warm cup of spiced cider) I wondered how we managed to get any of our shopping done before the computer was invented! Then I began to think back to my shopping trips as a child/young adult. I remember the local stores we went to, and the fact that your parents were often known by the shop keepers. I remember the thrill of looking at each item, touching it as if the very act would somehow make it your own. I remember the excitement that would build as I anticipated what I might receive. And later... I remember the thrill of the hunt... wanting to purchase the perfect gift for someone I loved.

Yes, things have changed, and yes, I have ended up conforming to that change....but I think that the old way will always be my favorite way. Now.... about that hot cider........