Like many teenage girls, I love shopping.

Unfortunately, Champaign-Urbana isn’t exactly a shopper’s paradise. Market Place Mall is a decent shopping center, but it has a very limited selection of brands and stores. Also, since the chain retailers at Market Place are relatively small, there’s not a very wide selection of colors and sizes to choose from.

So what can you do when you find an almost-perfect pair of jeans that's just a bit too tight?

Shop online!

People are always talking about how the Internet transformed their lives. They say that it revolutionized the way information is spread and increased the rate of communication.

However, an emerging trend that people often forget to mention is online shopping. An innovation of the 1990s, online shopping has attracted more and more customers. Today, people buy everything from cars to laptops to their weekly groceries over the Internet.

I’m not a huge fan of cars and high-tech gadgets, and I’m also not so lazy that I would need to order my groceries online. However, I do shop for clothes over the Internet.

When I see something I like at the mall but can’t find it in my size or color, I go home and visit that store’s Web site. Nationwide retailers such as Macy’s, Bergner’s, Hollister, Banana Republic, and Gap all have Web sites where shopper can browse through a wide selection of clothing. The selection online is usually a lot better than it is in the actual stores.

More upscale department stores and designer boutiques such as Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Lacoste also offer easy-to-navigate sites where customers can buy directly from the store without having to step a foot outside the door.

However, online shopping has its drawbacks. First of all, there’s the pesky shipping and handling fee, which generally starts off at $5 to $7. That can be quite annoying when you’re buying something that doesn’t cost that much to begin with.

Online shopping can also be extremely time-consuming. Since there’s practically an unlimited selection of merchandise online, it’s easy to browse through different stores’ Web sites for hours. Also, since clothes are all sized differently, it’s hard to find an exact fit without actually trying things on.

Despite these drawbacks, I’m still addicted to online shopping. It’s like living in a virtual mall where there’s an unlimited variety of clothing to choose from. I love being able to shop while sitting comfortably at home. Also, I love anticipating my orders because I feel like I’m getting a present each time a package arrives in the mail.

I know it’s a superficial and costly addiction, but I can’t help it (after all, it is an addiction). I suppose I could blame it on the invention of the Internet.

Nevertheless, with the skyrocketing gas prices these days, more people have resorted to shopping online. Why drive to a metropolitan area when you can shop from the comfort of your own home?

Just be sure to keep track of your spending, otherwise your next credit card bill might come as a bit of a shock.