Live & Learn

​

What I Got in the Mail Versus What I Ordered… Oh Dear

It’s no wonder Jeff Bezos has taken over all our shopping needs! 

I stepped away from Amazon after carefully searching for the exact dress I wanted, the right style, the perfect color… something just right for my presentation last week. Well, it’s a good thing I quickly ordered a backup from Amazon, because this one arrived a week late and is hardly the dress in the photo.

It’s cheaply made, with cheesy fabric, and looks more like a muumuu than a sleek wrap dress. Sure, there’s a thin strip of fabric meant to pass as a belt… as if that would help. Clearly mass-produced, and no doubt it will be nearly impossible to return, but I’ll try. Otherwise, I may just force myself to wear this beast somewhere as punishment for being so foolish.

I know better than to order from a new website. Lesson learned… again.

Amazon has quietly crept into our lives, and somehow we’ve become completely spoiled, and dependent, on getting whatever we want almost immediately. There are entire generations of kids now who will never know how difficult it once was to track down a specific item, driving from store to store.

I remember one Christmas in particular when my son wanted a specific X-Men figure, and I couldn’t find it anywhere. I went to every toy store and department store in Rhode Island, then kept looking as we traveled through New York, all to find that elusive Juggernaut action figure. The same thing happened when my daughter wanted a set of tiny, Wish World Dolls, I wasn't even sure existed, months and months of searching. The funniest part was after searching for those silly dolls for three months and finally finding them, buying every darn doll I found, Two weeks before Christmas she announced that she didn't want them anymore!!!! I quickly explained to her that it was likely Santa already had his sleigh packed....ugh! Thankfully, she loved them...darn kids! 

Now? Parents can sit in bed, click “add to cart,” and have the exact toy their kids want delivered in days, sometimes hours. I can’t help but wonder if we’ve lost a little appreciation for just how easy it’s all become.

So don’t mind me if I continue to shop on Amazon, order my groceries online, and have meals prepped and delivered right to my door. I may be an old gal, but I can still learn a new trick or two, and I’ll happily take convenience where I can get it...and be thankful for it. Live and learn. 

“What we need to do is always lean into the future.” ~ Jeff Bezos