DAKOTA D’Monte and Sidonie Robertson did not want to risk buying a dress from an unknown, overseas supplier because “you never know what you’re going to get”.
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Their Orange High School graduation was one of the most important nights of the 18-year-olds lives and they did not want it spoiled by a sub-standard gown.
Dakota said she bought her dress in Orange and nothing could compare to trying a dress on, getting the right size, the right colour and knowing exactly what it was going to look like on the night.
“You get to see how it fits so you know if it is the right style for you,” she said.
Dakota and Sidonie said they knew the importance of shopping locally and supporting the economy.
Business Enterprise Centre CEO Bruce Buchannan said shopping locally did not necessarily mean customers had to leave the comfort of their own home.
He said Orange businesses had been jumping on the online bandwagon and the money spent online would still support the Orange economy, and consumers could be guaranteed a quality product.
“Sixty-eight per cent of Pay Pal transactions happen between the hours of 6pm and 1am so you can still do your shopping when it is convenient for you, knowing the shop you’re buying from is still going to be there tomorrow, next week and after that,” he said.
Mr Buchanan said he had heard many stories of woe from friends and family who had been through dodgy overseas online shopping experiences.
He said people needed to be careful about return polices, which could cost customers excessive postage, whereas buying from a shop in Orange would avoid many such problems.
“Whatever money is spent in town, on average gets turned over six times in the local community,” Mr Buchanan said.
Beware risks of online shopping
By NICOLE KUTER
MY first wedding dress was a classic case of “same same but different”.
If it looks to good too be true it probably is, and a perfect wedding dress for $180 is definitely too good to be true.
I looked at the picture of the beautiful, ivory gown on a size 8, blonde model and thought “yes that’s the one.”
The broken English description said the dress would be made by a professional dressmaker, with the highest quality material, with only one catch.
“The dress will be made exactly how you see it, but may look slightly different because of alter to size.”
That should have been a dead giveaway.
What showed up in the mail was the same colour and shape as the picture, but pretty well different in every other respect.
I needed to gain two dress sizes before the wedding to fit into it. It would have been perfect if I was crooked and asymmetrical, and was about 190 centimetres tall.
The plastic sequins, which were supposed to be those Austrian lead-glass crystals every one raves about, were held in place with super glue to ensure they would hold out for the whole night.
The tulle skirt was missing altogether, but I’m sure some strategically placed fly screen would have been an adequate substitute, and there was some sort of big pouffy bit at the front, for what I guessed was to hide whether it may have been a shotgun wedding?
In the end I went to a shop, tried on a few dresses, spoke with the shop assistants, was given good advice and purchased the dress I married in three weeks ago.
Admittedly the dress I bought cost a lot more than $180 but at least I didn’t look like a pregnant hobbit.
The moral of the story: nothing beats buying over the counter.
Nothing can replace trying the dress on in a shop, seeing different types and knowing what you have ordered is exactly what you tried on.
nicole.kuter@fairfaxmedia.com.au