Security Blankets and Being Anti-Social

There seems to be a security blanket over internet transactions, propounded mainly by the lack of human. When a living, breathing, natural person is involved, she carries with her emotions, prejudices, and bias.

I personally prefer the anonymity and peace of doing things online, be it monitoring my checking account, mobile phone, and credit card transactions.

Personally, I prefer doing things online. Be it checking my online checking account, my mobile phone bill for the month, and credit card transactions. I have yet to do most of my shopping online, but if someone comes up with an efficient and trustworthy system online where I can do my groceries and have them drop shipped to my front door, I’d probably never leave the house.

I like looking at online stores – especially these big retail/grocery chains that have all these kinds of kitchen equipment I will never use since I don’t know how to cook. And for the things I do need, I enjoy looking at the pictures, albeit with limited angles. The reviews are priceless. Usually the words “addicting” and “best game ever” are my siren calls to download a 50-Peso game.

In some ways though, cash is still king. If a product is readily available locally (meaning a 15 to 20-minute drive, at the most), I still look at online reviews. And even if I know I’m getting ripped off by a local store’s alleged importation costs, taxes, and mall rent, I do appreciate the ease of seeing the product, touching the store display, then getting a shiny, new, unopened box home. No waiting time. No biting-your-nails-while-tracking-shipment. No hassle of picking your parcel at the post office and having it inspected (meaning roughly shaken and mishandled) by officials. Unless of course you do FedEx.

Over the weekend, I was held up (it was really more like highway robbery!) by persons from a very known and very legitimate environmental organization. Obviously, they got me at whale shark. Their mode of donation was only ever by credit card, which they were hounding me for. When I said that I didn’t feel comfortable giving my credit card to another person (I won’t even give it to my brother!), they practically yelled how many fish are dying at sea today. Long story short, their hard sell turned me off. They lied about online donations too. When I asked if it was possible to make a donation over the internet, they said that this online applied to the international branch of the organization and not the Philippine one. Total bollocks!

There’s something comforting about a flat picture on your computer screen. All it says is the facts. No hard sell, no false flattery. No annoying sales personnel following your every move. No very trained mall-robbers. This is of course is maybe borne out of my being anti-social. I only hope is that no baby whale shark died from my being a scrooge.