There are two types of shopping trip.

The first involves buying the one thing you actually need.

The second begins with needing toothpaste and somehow ends with a new jumper, three notebooks, a candle and absolutely no toothpaste.

September seems particularly good at producing the second kind.

School and work routines return, the weather starts changing and suddenly somebody needs shoes, stationery, toiletries, a charger or a bike light.

So, is it cheaper and easier to shop locally in Peterborough or order online?

The slightly annoying answer is: it depends what you're buying.

But there's a simple way to decide.

Start with what you need, not where you normally shop

Online shopping is brilliant when you know exactly what you want.

Same model. Same size. Same colour. Clearly cheaper price. No rush.

Order it.

But local shopping has a big advantage when you need to see it, try it, compare it or take it home today.

Shoes are an obvious example.

Saving £6 online feels less impressive after you've ordered two sizes, discovered neither fits properly and spent part of your lunch break repacking a shoebox for the return.

Sometimes convenience is worth money too.

Queensgate works when you've got a list

For a Peterborough shopping trip involving several different jobs, Queensgate makes sense.

Its retailers include names such as Primark, H&M, Clarks, Deichmann, Boots and Superdrug, alongside phone shops, gift retailers and other services.

That means one trip can potentially sort clothes, shoes, toiletries and the birthday card you remembered approximately four hours before you need it.

Queensgate says it has more than 100 stores, over 2,200 parking spaces across four car parks and links with Peterborough railway station and local buses.

Shopmobility facilities are also available.

The downside?

A shopping centre containing 100-plus shops isn't necessarily the safest environment for someone who went in “just for socks”.

If you only need one standard item and can get it delivered cheaply, online may still win.

Don't forget Peterborough City Market

Peterborough City Market offers something different.

Located on Bridge Street, it's open Tuesday to Saturday and has traders selling a mixture of food, clothing, textiles, jewellery, accessories and other goods.

The attraction here isn't necessarily having hundreds of choices.

Sometimes it's being able to look at something properly, ask a trader a question and buy it there and then.

That's particularly useful for things that are difficult to judge from six carefully lit photographs online.

The market also fits neatly into a wider city-centre trip, although its opening days and hours mean it's worth checking before setting off.

Turning up on the wrong day is rarely considered a successful money-saving technique.

Hampton can be easier for everyday errands

Then there's Serpentine Green in Hampton.

This is perhaps the more practical option when the trip is less “afternoon browsing” and more “we need groceries and three other things before going home”.

The centre combines shops, groceries and services, with around 2,100 parking spaces and four hours of free parking, as well as bus links and step-free access.

If you're already heading that way for the weekly shop, adding another purchase can make more sense than paying separately for delivery or making another journey later.

And that's really the point.

The cheapest item isn't always the cheapest way to buy it.

The five-minute test before buying

Before clicking Buy Now or grabbing the car keys, check five things:

1. What's the real price? Include delivery, parking and travel.

2. When do you need it? Tomorrow's delivery isn't much use if you need it tonight.

3. Could you easily get it wrong? Fit, size, colour and quality can be easier to judge in person.

4. What happens if you return it? A bargain becomes less appealing when sending it back is a nuisance.

5. Can you combine jobs? One Peterborough trip that solves four problems can beat four separate online orders.

6.  

Local doesn't automatically mean better.

Online doesn't automatically mean cheaper.

If you know the exact item you want and it's considerably cheaper delivered, ordering it can be the sensible choice.

But if you need to try something on, compare it properly, ask a question or get it today, Peterborough's shops still have an advantage that next-day delivery can't quite match.

And if one journey gets the shoes, shampoo, charger and birthday card sorted?

Even better.

Just remember the toothpaste.

Which Peterborough shop saves you a job?

Is there a Peterborough shop, market stall or shopping destination you use because it's particularly good for one specific thing?

Tell us what you buy there and why it's worth making the trip.

The best recommendations could help us put together a genuinely useful Peterborough “where locals actually shop” guide.