Thursday, July 24, 2014

THE THRILL OF THE HUNT


A few Sundays ago, I was sitting at home on the couch and decided I needed a little adventure.  Ever since we saw Oblivion, I've been wanting to buy the Procol Harum record in order to listen to "A Whiter Shade of Pale" on endless repeat.

Wade had told me a few days before to just order it online.  That's where Wade and I differ, though.  He loves online shopping, and I prefer to find my items "in the wild".

With a vast sea of online retailers, it is almost impossible to not find the item you're looking for online.  With just a few clicks of the mouse and a keyword search, you could easily locate the item and cross reference it with other retailers to find the lowest price.

Where's the fun in that, though?

To me, I love the thrill of the hunt. Walking into a store, not quite knowing if they have what you're looking for and then the elation when you stumble upon it.

It's real.


You can feel the weight of it in your hands, touch it, and turn it over to see if there are scratches that wouldn't show up in online photos.

Of course there are times when a brick and mortar store won't have what you're looking for, but that's a risk I'm willing to take.

So on that lazy summer afternoon, I wandered down to the local record store and did find the album I was looking for.  I plopped it on my record player when I got home, turned up the volume, and let the sound waft through the house.

Maybe I could have found a version of the album in more pristine condition, for a cheaper price, or even have just downloaded it, but I liked walking into the store and flipping through things in person.

When I first thought about this post, I was thinking along the lines of instant gratification--that people have become accustomed to having things right away at their fingertips that we can't wait patiently for good things to come along.

I scratched that, though, because part of the reason I did go to the local record shop was because I wanted to listen to the music right away.  I didn't want to wait for shipping, and, yes, I would have been upset if they wouldn't have had it in stock.



Let's go back to just saying that I prefer the thrill of the hunt, though.  I think that sounds better.


So what do you prefer?  Online shopping or picking your items out in person?






15 comments:

  1. I think I am a mixture of both! Sometimes I like going out for the hunt but (usually) I don't want to deal with the crowds!
    www.amemoryofus.com

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    1. I hear you about the crowds! I always like going shopping on off times when the stores aren't so full. Then I can take my time perusing things:)

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  2. I loved reading this post! I can relate in terms of "real" books vs ebooks! There is definitely something special about items you can hold and as you said, the thrill of the hunt, is definitely exciting for me too when browsing through a bookstore :)

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    1. I completely agree! I love old books and have been collecting my favorite first editions for a few years now. I could just order them online, but I prefer to stumble upon them in a bookstore:) Thanks so much for stopping by and hope you're having a great day!

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  3. I love how you said, "in the wild." haha. I prefer hand picking my items in the store! But I guess that mostly goes for clothes (because I like trying them on).

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    1. Yes! I can never tell how clothes are going to look on me unless I see them in person and try them on. It's a lot easier returning something to a store, too, then having to ship it back. Hope you're having a great day!

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  4. I'm old school...love things like snail mail and seeking out objects in the store. So much more fun!

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    1. I totally agree! There's nothing quite as exciting as getting something besides bills in the mail:) Thanks so much for stopping by and hope you're having a great day!

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  5. What a fun find... vintage vinyl stores are so exciting :) You never know what you'll find at the back of a crate or crammed in some nondescript corner. I'm a big fan of shopping in the wild, like you. Online ordering isn't as exciting!

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    1. Great minds think alike:) Hope you have a great weekend, Caitlin!

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  6. Nothing sounds better than vinyl. I repeat, NOTHING sounds better than vinyl. My hubby and I have this conversation a lot - how kids these days [sheesh I sound like my parents] don't get to appreciate the THRILL of the hunt. To walk into a record store, and thumb through albums, and come across a rare, bootleg by your favorite artist, only released in say Germany or Japan... THE THRILL of just hoping they have a copy of the ONE obscure thing you want. And the thrill of as you said, touching it, seeing it, and taking it home, yourself. Listen, I Love online shopping for stuff as much as anyone that loves it but I also love the thrill of finding something in person, and making it my own! Kudos to you for seeking adventure, finding thrill in the hunt and returning home victorious! Again, downloads are not as awesome as the real thing - I also hate that downloads are killing off the design business of album covers etc... As a designer it breaks my heart... I miss albums coming with FULL liner notes... I still love purchasing CDS. However if it's on Vinyl, with a digital download my heart sings even more! I need a version for my Jeep and my phone after all.

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    1. YES!! You are so right on! I just went to a Best Buy today. I haven't been to one in probably 8 years. I was shocked when I walked in. Where were all the CDs and movies? There were a few still left, but now there are just tons of headphones (I mean, how many different styles/colors of headphones does a person actually need to choose from?) and cell phones. Things sure have changed from back in my day. (Now I sound like my parents:) I agree with you that there's just something about going into a store and finding something for yourself. My biggest fear is that soon all the mom and pop stores will close and we'll be left with either having to go to big chains or online. The vinyl and digital download are the absolute best:) Hope you have a great weekend!

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  7. This is one of those posts I will think about later. I'm somewhere in between. I love picking out stuff in person, but I also don't really like leaving my house to do errands, so sometimes shopping online for baby shower/wedding gifts and so on is my go to. I've also been sucked into buying movies on the internet. Since I simply can't just not return them to Blockbuster anymore since it doesn't exist this is now my new option. But there are some things that just aren't special to buy online. Like records! And things to decorate my house with! And lots more.

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    1. You're so right, Devon. There are definitely things that I prefer to just buy online instead of waiting in line at Bed Bath & Beyond to purchase something from a registry:) For those personal and hard to find items, it's fun to search for them in person, though, like you said. Hope you're having a great Friday! Is it time for the weekend to start yet?

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  8. That's how I feel when going antiquing…definitely the thrill of the hunt!!

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