| >SHOPPING ON
LINE
"If only the Internet
had been around when my children were growing up" says Sandie Hurford, a
49-year-old mother of four. "Women today have never had it so good. I've
bought so many pairs of football boots and school uniforms that I've had my surfeit
of shopping. I find shopping on line much less of a chore." In fact, the
more Mrs Hurford shops online, the more she likes it. "I work, so I don't
want to spend my time queuing up to get into shops or car parks. The Salisbury's
delivery charge is only £5, and for the pleasure of not having to go for
a trolley load of groceries, that is the most tremendous bargain ever." Meanwhile,
Mrs Hurford's boss, John Maslen, 32, likes the Internet for window shopping. "Even
if I don't buy anything, I tend to surf, especially for computers and travel.
I now see the Internet, rather than the high street, as my first resource for
shopping."
A study from Sussex Univeristy reports that women have
become fast and efficient shoppers online. They don't waste time browsing. They
just get on with the job. Men are starting to browse
for pleasure. They are more likely to search for new shops than women and more
likely to compare product features and prices. Men find buying online more enjoyable
because it removes much of the pain: no driving into town, no hassle about where
to park. Men also prove to be the secret Internet spenders. A recent survey reveals
that men are seven times more likely than women to spend up to £1,000 online,
while one man in 20 admits to having splurged £5,000 or more on items such
as cars and luxury holidays.
[ Men appreciate efficiency and ease, and find
these online. As a result, conventional shopping roles are now being reversed
and sons are teaching their mothers how to shop. "Using price-comparison
sites si something my 17-year-old son has taught me" Mrs Hurford says. ] With
its power to change lives for the better, the Internet is freeing women from spending
time on high-street chores, while men are being liberated to enjoy their shopping.
Mark Sykes, a 32-year-old IT consultant, is typical: "I get better value
shopping online and it's less hassle. It's also more of a pleasure, and it's more
relaxing." He's not the only one to have discovered this, as Peter Green
confirms: "During the past three months, I've bought DIY materials, an oven,
a fridge, CDs, wine and books. I'd buy everything online if I could."
Source: Sunday Times, February 29 2004 (adapted)
Vocabulary I
have had my surfeit of... J'ai eu plus que ma part de ...
a chore:
une corvée
to browse: surfer (d'un site à l'autre)
hassle:
tracas
to splurge (money): dépenser sans compter
IT consultant
(Information Technology): spécialiste en informatique
DIY (Do It Yourself):
le bricolage. |
Comme
