Let me be honest, I get most of my stuff online these days.  It is 2021 and with covid and everything getting shut down last year the stores are not as open as they used to be.  We now buy most things online. It is nothing new but that has also meant that most of my ostomy gear has been truly changed up as well. That means that having different options for shopping is really important and when it comes to buying ostomy gear I like to have different options available.  So I wanted to go over my journey of how I purchase my gear and get my monthly supplies and how that may look to a new person getting into their own ostomy gear.

My nurse at my hospital after my surgery was awesome.  I learned so many things and got a lot of solid tips on how to find what I needed. So it put me on a journey to find the gear that didn’t look like it was from the dark ages and that didn’t cost an arm and a leg. I still have those and still want them.  And luckily with the world that we live in, I decided to explore lots of options, not just the easiest one.  My pharmacy’s around me were pretty key for me learning about a lot of things and getting a grasp on the industry as a whole.

My first trip was a bit scary, but it gave me so much information.  I told her that I was new to this whole market and just wanted a run-through of all the different things. What I learned was more than what I bargained for and it was amazing.  Learning the business side of ostomy gear was wonderful.  She purchased gear that her customers liked and that she liked as a company.  Learning what other people used and why was a big part of my knowledge base. I was really pumped about learning how to do what others did like me. AKA I was not alone.

Figuring out the brands was pretty complicated but once I knew who existed and saw a whole lot of advertising which was really weird to see on social media.  But hey people who have stomas need good gear and entertainment too.  So this led me to some cool websites online and from there I ended up seeing bulk pricing on items. But buying a lot of items and paying for shipping is a bit harsh upfront. Luckily these companies offered free samples which is a really cool way to try new things and then be able to get them at lower prices for bulk pricing. I knew online bulk shopping was the answer and now it probably is 100% the best option for you.

Now even though I am a huge fan of going online to shop. I also keep up with my local pharmacy.  I know they are there to get me what I need in a pinch and it is nice to support local stores when I can. So I do that as much as I can.  But you know to shop online for your main gear. It is common sense and generally more convenient and that is what life in America is all about.