Virtual Shopping Mall

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Online Shopping Mall
 Shopping online is becoming more and more common. Younger generations, having not known what it was like to grow up without a home computer, make up a growing number of consumers who shop via the
internet. I can't say I blame them. First of all, you don't have to look for a parking space, except for parking yourself in front of your monitor with your favourite beverage. Second, you can shop at your convenience,  since the internet is open 24hrs a day. Third, you have no crowds to deal with. The most important thing is that you can find exactly what you want in less time because instead of you going to the stores, you bring the stores to you. That's why I have put together a directory of some of the best online stores for your browsing pleasure.


Whatever you are in the market for, you name it and it's got it. Need wedding invitations? It's got it. How about skateboards? Got it. Dog apparel? Got it. Looking for name brands like Disney, Marvel and Atari. Got that too. Here is a partial selection of what other products you will find:

• T-shirts (customize them directly online)
• Embroidered apparel (hats, polo shirts, hoodies, jackets, tote bags)
• Keds shoes (Hi Tops, slip-ons, etc.)
• Business cards ( 3 different sizes)
• Bumper stickers (11" x 3")
• Stationary (5.5" x 8.5" basic, felt, speckled, linen, recycled)
• Letterhead (8.5" x 11")
• Postage Stamps (U.S. only)
• Mugs (basic, ringer, two-tone, morphing, travel, stein, frosted)
• Greeting cards (envelopes included)
• Note cards (envelopes included, free boxed sets for orders of 10 or more)
• Photo cards (4"x8", 8"x4", envelopes included)
• Postcards ( 4.25"x 5.6")
• Posters (card stock, satin, matte, gloss, watercolor)
• Canvas prints (matte, gloss)
• Framed prints (140 frame styles, 142 mats, 3 different types glazing)
• Mousepads (9.25"x7.75")
• Ties (polyester, 55" long, 4" wide)
• Aprons (3 sizes in yellow, white & brown)
• Binders (3 ring sizes)
• Calendars (5 styles and sizes)
• Flyers (3 sizes in white and bright white)
• Rack cards (9"x 4" white)
• Buttons (round & square 6 sizes)
• Magnets (round & square 4 sizes)
• Keychains (round)

 
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Biodegradable Plastic Bags

"Paper or Plastic?" That is something we had all grown accustomed to hearing from the bag boy for several years when ringing up our groceries at the checkout counter. Nowadays, you are not likely to hear either as society gravitates toward more eco-friendly alternatives.That alternative at the moment seems to be cloth bags.

The reason for the change is because paper, although recyclable, uses up valuable energy to produce for something that gets discarded most likely after a single use. The production process of paper bags also causes considerable air pollution.We decided that we have better uses for our dwindling tree population.

The replacement for the paper bag, was the versatile plastic bag. I say versatile because, if you were like me, after carrying your groceries from your car and storing the food, you used them as garbage bags. The problem is, these bags are not recyclable, use too much energy to produce and take an eternity to break down in landfills. Once a landfill gets full, a new landfill site is needed and the process starts all over again. The problem with that is they are not making any more real estate, folks. What we have is all we get and it gets a little more crowded on this big, blue marble as the world's population continually increases. Therefor, a replacement bag was sought.

The cloth or canvas bag was introduced as the ideal solution. Reusable and durable, the only drawback seems to be remembering to take them with you on your next shopping trip. But can we eliminate the plastic bag completely?

Where cloth is not ideal to use is when packages are sent through the mail. Most courriers use corrugated boxes or plastic wrapping which takes us right back to the original dilemma. However, some companies have introduced biodegradable plastic packaging to ship out their orders. Skreened is one such company.

Skreened is an online print-on-demand service which allows you to design and purchase your own t-shirts and tote bags. Not only can you order one of the reusable tote bags or their equally earth-friendly organic t-shirts they offer with your own design on it, you can also have it shipped to you in a biodegradable plastic wrapper. The description claims it will break down in 75 days with no toxic vapors or dust. That means less time and more room in our current landfills which in turn would mean less need to search for new landfill sites. Heck, you can even throw them in your composter and feed your garden.

More and more shoppers buy online every year. More and more people are environmentally conscious. More and more, this is making a lot of ecological, moral and business sense. More and more, companies should be following this example.