HuffPost's Laura Paddison (@laurapaddison on Twitter) digs deep into the cost of quick shipping (aka immediate gratification) in Why You Should Think Twice Before Opting for Free 2-Day Shipping. Paddison starts with the University of California/Vox video The environmental cost of free two-day shipping (above) and presents findings from her additional research:
E-commerce has made people's lives easier. Nearly 80 percent of Americans shop online, and they can do so any time, anywhere. One in five people even do it while using the bathroom.Read and decide whether two-day shipping is worth the cost.
It can also be greener than going to physical stores, since people don't need to jump in their cars to get to there. A Massachusetts Institute of Technology study found that a traditional store-visiting shopper had a carbon footprint almost two times that of an online shopper.
However, there's an important caveat. This environmental advantage of online shopping disappears if the shopper selects speedy delivery.
(Update 11/30/17, 10:36 am: title corrected)
