Chapter 9 – Audio Script

Good morning. Let me start with a question. Do you like shopping? I see some heads nodding and others saying “no.” People often have strong feelings about shopping. Some love it and others hate it. Either way, everyone goes shopping, either in a store or online. Today I want to talk about the advantages and disadvantages of shopping online.

Let’s start with the advantages. Why do people like shopping online?

First, online shopping is more convenient.  I can shop from any place at any time. It’s not necessary to think about the location or closing hours of a store, because the Internet is right there, and it is always open. Plus, I can avoid going out in bad weather, or waiting in long lines in a crowded store.

Next, I think shopping online is cheaper. I can compare products and prices on different websites to find the best price. For example, I need to buy a new vacuum. I will research which one to buy, and then I will look at different stores online until I find the cheapest one.

Third, online shopping has more options. I can find exactly what I want. There are many styles, colours, and brands to choose from online. For example, at Walmart there are approximately 8 options for dish soap. But online at walmart.ca, there are 25 pages of results!

As you can see, there are many reasons that people enjoy shopping online. But of course, there are some disadvantages, too.

First, shopping online can be riskier. I can’t try on clothes or see how a product feels. When it arrives, it might be the wrong colour, wrong size, or just not good quality. For example, once I ordered a t-shirt for my brother. When it arrived, it was too small, so I gave it to my nephew instead.

Second, when you shop online, it can be easier to overspend. I go to a website looking for a specific product. But the website shows me ads and recommendations. It knows other things I will like. Sometimes I leave the website with my cart full of products. It can get expensive!

The third disadvantage is the most important one: online shopping can be more dangerous. I worry about someone taking my personal information like my name, address, or credit card number. Shopping online is usually safe, but sometimes important information is stolen.

In conclusion, let’s review the main points. We talked about three advantages of online shopping. It is more convenient, it is cheaper, and it has more options. But there are also disadvantages. Online shopping can be riskier, it can be easier to overspend, and it can be more dangerous.

So what do you think? Do you prefer shopping online or in a store? In my opinion, shopping online is good, but I still prefer going to a store to make purchases.

Thank you for listening to my presentation, and happy shopping!