Shopping online has many benefits and advantages as compared to going to an actual store. One of the biggest advantages is that you can see many different products in much less time (Prussakov & Kaushik 2008). However, with the benefit of so many online stores comes some apprehension. There are literally tens of thousands of online shopping sites — with more being added every single day (Lynn 2006). With the benefit of so many choices comes a bit of an overload of information. Yet despite this overload of information, one only has to know how to navigate their online shopping experience in order to make the best of their shopping adventure.

Shopping online is an incredible way to shop because you can find pretty much anything you would ever want — or anything you would ever need (or not need). A trip to the local mall to find something very specific can oftentimes leave one frustrated when that specific item can’t be found. It leaves individuals feeling frustrated for having wasted their time and they are still left with the fact that they didn’t find what they needed, so now they have to physically go search for it somewhere else. This is not the case when shopping online. It’s easy to type into a Google search what we are looking for, click “shopping” at the top, and then see a list of items that are exactly what we need and at different prices.

Shopping online has another huge advantage that physical retail stores do not have: they are open 24 hours a day, every day — even on holidays. If one is plagued with insomnia, all they have to do is go to their computer (in their pajamas) and search the web to find natural cures for insomnia. Shopping online doesn’t require one to get dressed, fix their hair, and physically drive to a store (Lynn 2006). This is just another major advantage of shopping online.

Another great fact about shopping online is that online retailers are forced to keep their prices appealing (i.e. affordable) because there are so many other businesses out there and easily accessed. “The more businesses that are vying with your spending dollars, the more quickly and radically prices are likely to fall” (Freeze 2000).

In readying one’s self for an interview, there are several steps to be taken. First of all, knowing the position that you are applying for and what it entails is first and foremost. Before the big day, make sure that you have thought a great deal about what the job is about so that you can predict what sort of questions the potential employer may ask you. In this contemplation process, you may also discover that there are certain things that you would like to know about the job or things that you don’t understand. Beshara (2008) states that in order to do well during the actual interview process, you need to know some things about yourself and about others who are in the same market as you.

Secondly, one needs to prioritize his or her own goals (Davis 2010) because, most likely, the potential employer will want to know what your goals are for the future, where you see yourself in, say, 2 or 5 years, and how your goals are related to the job for which you are applying. Think about what is important to you in a job, in your chosen career path, and within the company where you are interviewing.

The next step to making a great interview is to know what your potential employer is all about (Taylor & Hardy 2005). Don’t underestimate the importance of understanding what the potential employer will want from you (Kessler 2006). Also, you can’t expect to do well at an interview for a company that you don’t know anything about. Do your research so that you are prepared for any questions they might ask you concerning why you want to work for the company. Does the company promote social justice? Does the company believe in ‘green’ practices for running their company. These are things you should know — even if they aren’t directly related to what your potential job would be. It shows that you have done your research so that you can answer a question with a smart answer rather than a weak one.

Dogs are better pets than cats for many reasons. Though cats require far less attention and effort and no emotional investment (Greive & Hale 2009), this is precisely what works against cats. Cats, therefore, fall “neatly into a domestic subclass containing hamsters, sea monkeys, and sock puppets” (2009). There is no other way around it. Cats are subclass pets. You might as well have a turtle or a hermit crab as a pet. While zero effort and zero attention may perhaps sound nice, what is the point of having a ‘pet’ take up space in your house, apartment, igloo, tree house or wherever you live if you’ don’t have to emotionally invest? Dogs, on the other hand, require care — effort and attention; in fact, they thrive on your emotional investment in them — and, the best part — they actually give back. It is not a mystery why dogs are called ‘man’s best friend.’ The mess may be much greater when you have a dog as opposed to a cat, but the rewards are far, far greater (2009).

Dogs lick your face when you are sad because they seem to always know what you are feeling. They appear to be as hurt as you are. Cats, on the other hand, would rather lick their paws rather than show you some emotional support. When it comes to loyalty and affection, cats aren’t even in the same realm as dogs. A dog will be your best friend for life while a cat may not be much more than an acquaintance who just happens to be stuck in the same house as you. Loyalty and trustworthiness are the two biggest qualities that dogs possess (Lovka & Lipking 2001).

Unlike cats, you will never wonder how your dog is feeling. While cats are aloof and, oftentimes, downright rude, dogs wag their tails to show you they love you with their “hot diggity dog” enthusiasm (Sandsmark 2007). Dogs teach us more about our own humanity than any person (or cat) could every do, which is why they make the perfect, lifelong companions.

Works Cited

Beshara, Tony. Acing the Interview: How to Ask and Answer the Questions That Will Get You

the Job. AMACOM. 2008.

Davis, Brian. Top Notch Interviews: Tips, Tricks, and Techniques from the First Call to Getting

the Job You Want. Career Press; 1st edition. 2010.

Freeze, Jill T. Savvy Online Shopping. Microsoft Press. 2000.

Greive, Bradley Trevor & Hale, Rachael. Why Dogs Are Better Than Cats. Andrews McMeel

Publishing; 1st edition. 2009.

Kessler, Robin. Competency-Based Interviews: Master the Tough New Interview Style and Give

Them the Answers That Will Win You the Job. Career Press; 1st edition. 2006.

Lovka, Bob & Lipking, Ronald. Dogs Are Better Than Cats: From a Dog’s Eye View. BowTie

Press. 2001.

Lynn, Jacqueline. Online Shopper’s Survival Guide. Entrepreneur Press. 2006.

Prussakov, Evgenii & Kaushik, Avinash. Through Consumers’ Eyes: A Study of Online Users’

Responses to 107 Questions. AM Navigator, LLC. 2008.

Sandsmark, Joanna. 10 Spiritual Lessons You Can Learn From Your Dog. Godsfield. 2007.

Taylor, Jeffrey & Hardy, Doug. (2005). Monster Careers: Interviewing: Master the Moment That

Gets You the Job. Penguin (Non-Classics).