Comparison and Contrast - Draft 1

Differences between department stores and mail-order catalogues

Nowadays, people have many different ways and places to buy things. Most people choose to purchase products in the department stores or by using the mail-order catalogues. I will compare them into three parts: the shopping time, fitness problem, and touching and feeling the merchandise.

The first difference between the department stores and mail-order catalogues is the shopping time. People don’t have much time to go shopping, but you can buy things anytime you want in the mail-order catalogues. For example, in the midnight you can not buy clothes in the department stores. Consequently, mail-order is more convenient than department stores to shoppers.

The second point we need to discuss is the fitness problem. Department stores are completely different from mail-order catalogues in this part. When we purchase clothes or pants by mail-order catalogues, we can not try on them. The only thing we can do is to check the size table from the catalogues. In addition, it is very difficult for customs to change the products by using mail-order catalogues. Therefore, department stores are much better than the mail-order catalogues in the fitness problem.

Touching and feeling the merchandise is the last difference between them. For instance, you can touch and feel the commodities in the department stores; in contrast, you can only use your imagination to the products in the mail-order catalogues. Moreover, you even don’t know the real size of the products you want to buy. I think it is the most important reason why the department stores are still so popular now.

There are benefits and drawbacks to both department stores and mail-order catalogues. There is not the fixed answer because every customer has his or her own different demands. But in my own opinion, I think department stores are considerably better than mail-order catalogues because I am the customer who is very care about touching and feeling the products.