Since many retail stores have temporarily closed, many shoppers have moved their purchasing online for convenience and safety during the pandemic.

Gisela Mendez, a sophomore studying psychology, said she does more online shopping now than she did before.

“I use online stores when I’m buying gifts for my friends or family,” Mendez said. “I like it right now, especially because I don’t have to go out. The packages just show up on my porch and I don’t even have to worry about it.”

Mendez said since most of her favorite stores are temporarily closed, she finds online shopping very useful. She uses online shopping for food, clothes and shoes, school supplies and pretty much anything she needs.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love going to the mall and to stores in person, but I can’t do that right now,” Mendez said. “My current go-to is Amazon. I can find pretty much anything I need, especially when all the open department stores don’t have the products I need.”

According to The Motley Fool, a private financial and investing advice company, Amazon sales have gone up by 29% as people try to stay inside and avoid going out to heavily populated stores. 

The company has seen a rise in sales because consumers use its services for easy and fast delivery. 

“It saves me so much time because I just have to do a couple of clicks and I have everything I need,” Mendez said. “I don’t have to risk my health or my family’s health by being outside in stores.”

Jocelyn Avila, a senior studying sociology, has a different view of online shopping. She said she didn’t like shopping online before quarantine and still doesn’t. 

“I really prefer to buy things in person,” Avila said, “I have had to resort to buying things online now since stores are closed.”

Avila said before the quarantine started and stores were open, she only used online shopping for things she couldn’t find in store or that were exclusively online. 

“The last thing I bought online was my dress for graduation,” Avila said.

Avila prefers shopping for clothing in person. She said she likes that she can try things on and see if she likes them or not before purchasing.

“I don’t like dealing with returning things I buy online,” Avila said. “There’s so much for the process of returning things, and there is always the possibility that I get the wrong size or I don’t like the texture.”

With grocery stores and department stores being crowded with shoppers, online shopping has become a safe way to get the products. According to MSN.com’s news section, sales for open department stores like Wal-Mart have soared due to consumer stockpiling and the sales they are making online.

Shoppers like Avial or Mendez can benefit from stores such as Wal-Mart due to their online and in-person shopping options.