Why Ninjas Shop at Amazon.com

The other day, after much use, my jogging headphones gave out.  I thought about running over to Best Buy to get a replacement set.

However, it was Saturday afternoon and after quick consideration I decided that it was not worth fighting traffic, crowds, and checkout to go shopping.

Instead, I hopped online and within 2 minutes I had ordered a replacement pair of headphones from Amazon.com.  In fact, the exact pair that had broken.  I ordered them with 1-Click and received 2-day shipping.  (I am an Amazon Prime member).

I then went back to my Saturday activities around the house and could spend more time with my family.

Why Time Management Ninjas Shop at Amazon.com

In managing your time, one of the most powerful things you can do is avoid time wasting activities that are, well…avoidable.

In the case of many tasks, you can save yourself time by practicing what I call Placeshifting and Timeshifting.

In this case, I changed places to get my task done.  I saved time by going to Amazon, instead of travelling to the physical store.

If what I needed was only available at Best Buy, I could have saved myself time by shifting times.  I could have gone to the store at a time that was not peak traffic.  (Why does everyone have to go to the store on Saturday afternoon???)

And there were several other benefits to shopping at Amazon:

• Price – Amazon is usually far cheaper than most physical stores.  Do your own comparison.
• No tax – There is no tax for purchases on Amazon.  This saves you even more.  (Note: There are a few states that are now taxing online purchases.)
• Free shipping – Amazon offers free shipping for many of their products.  If you are an Amazon Prime member, you  get unlimited 2-day shipping.  Very convenient.

Shift to Avoid the Rush

We all spend a lot of time running around to get the things we need.

Next time, consider how you could avoid wasting time by shifting the place or time of the task.

This is just one of the ways that Time Management Ninjas make more time.  🙂

How has shopping at Amazon (or other online stores) saved you time, money, and effort?  How often do you buy online instead of running to the store?