Something to think about... Please read.

[MacGoddess21]

I feel like you have a good point, but to cut back drastically on online shopping would only worsen the unemployment rate, IMO. There are certainly things that can be done like when you shop online, reuse or recycle the packaging if you can, especially if you swap frequently. Try to buy more than one thing at a time so that your packaging isnt being wasted for every single eyeshadow, blush, brush, that you want. Its all relative. Whether we shop online or not these products that we so love are being shipped around anyway. C'est la vie fellow makeup addicts!

 

[mommys-makeup]

i'm sorry i had to laugh when you posted your thread and then at the end you say "i will continue to buy on line" huh? lol?

 

[Almond_Eyed]

I don't think you can accurately calculate which is more "green," to order online or to go to the store yourself. There's a lot of "green" propaganda these days, and honestly I think it's just a bunch of BS.

In a capitalist and industrial society, we are constantly producing waste through mass production of commodities, or "stuff," by stripping the earth of its resources in an unsustainable rate. But then again, should we all go back to an agrarian economy where everyone "lives off the land"? You are supporting an unsustainable way of living by buying this "stuff," including makeup. So it's not a matter of whether you're buying online or buying in-store, the fact of the matter is you are buying.

This being said, I buy into this kind of society, we all do, there's no way to escape it because we've been living in a capitalist society since the 14th Century and an Industrial society since the 19th Century. We have built a system that we can no longer escape.

My point: There is no green debate, we all buy "stuff." The people who make and sell "stuff" don't care if anyone is green as long as they're making a different kind of green: money.

PS: I still support recycling.

 

[LMD84]

this thred is older but somehow i missed it!

i won't stop buying online. purely because some things i can't actually get in shops! i mean the nearest mac store is an hour away on a train for me. teamed with the fact io am now working 6 days a week for 9 hours a day i am unable to go out shopping. on my day off i see friends and do housework!!

but i also make a point of buying things together. so i only order from mac once a month and include perm products that i need in that order. when i buy hair products i get my shampoo and conditoner shipped together and so on. it may not sound like a big step but i';m sure it's more than what some do.

 

[MUALindsay]

I buy online because...

The closest MAC is a 2hr 45m drive.
The closest Sephora is a 2h 15m drive.
The closest Old Navy (where I buy most of my clothes) is a 1h 15m drive.
The closest make-up counter is a 1h drive.
The closest mall is a 40m drive.
The closest Wal-Mart is a 20m drive.
The closest drugstore is a 10m drive.

I don't have a lot of resources, so I buy A LOT online.
That being said I usually buy ~5-10 items at a time. Most things I do not return, unless they are breaking out my skin or I wrong guessed my foundation shade. I look at A LOT of eyeshadow/blush/lipstick/lipgloss, etc swatches before buying online.

Would I love to frequent the above mentioned STORES more often, heck yeah! But money, money for gas, and my time working for money, limits me.
I don't think there's much more effort for the UPS guy to stop by my house when I'm sure someone else in my little town is getting something, too.

The only time a receive an item or two is from eBay, QVC or a MUA swap, in which all are sent USPS, and I'm getting mail anyways. I always try to re-use my mailers too.

 

[Meisje]

Alka1, I understand what you're trying to say and I think it's great to be aware. I currently live in a large city where I can get pretty much any item, but I still shop online for certain things that I can't get. Like pigment samples. Other than that I always try to get things as close to home as possible.

One huge thing you can do to reduce your footprint when you shop online is to keep and reuse all the packaging. It's all made from really durable material and can be used several times.