I have always loved the feeling I get when I walk into a retail store, the smell of the clothes, the excitement of finding a great deal, and the stimulation of seeing new things. One of the biggest benefits to shopping in stores is that you can see how things fit. I always try on  items that I am thinking about purchasing. I also like to see the fabric in person to make sure it is good quality. However, recently I have found myself shopping on-line more often. For example, today I walked into Ann Taylor Loft. They were having 40% of their sale merchandise so I thought why not take a peek. While browsing I found the exact type of  jacket I have been looking for, a military style jacket with fur trim hood. They did have a small in stock but I thought perhaps I needed the extra small. Since the store is super close to me I thought I would first check online to see if it came in x-small and if not I would go back to the store. I go back to my office, get on the website, and the first thing that pops up is a 20% off discount coupon if I sign up to get e-mail. Awesome! I find the jacket and guess what, it not only comes in x-small but xx-small. In my head I am saying to myself….why did I bother going in the store to begin with…here they have my size and its cheaper. Then I think back to what I said in the beginning of this post; at least now I know I love it, like the feel and the fit, and I know its good quality. But still in a sense stores are competing with themselves, especially when they offer free shipping.  If you have the time I would say to try it on in the stores and then purchase on-line you inevitably are going to get it cheaper and in the size you want.

By the way this jacket is fantastic. If you are looking for a lighter weight jacket to take you into winter and want something on the more casual side, this is it. The cotton fabric is super soft and they lined the inside in jersey which makes it very comfortable to wear. Ann Taylor Loft is offering free shipping and like I said you get 20% off when you sign up for e-mail alerts (you can unsubscribe at any time).