rogerd - 4:00 pm on Jan 24, 2006 (gmt 0)

Instant gratification is still a big advantage of local retail outlets. If you need the item right away, or even if you just WANT it now, retail is your only option. Seeing/touching product is often important, too - do you really want to buy an expensive jewelry item from a picture? (I know many people do, but that's something I'd prefer to get close to.)

E-commerce vendors are getting better at offering very quick gratification, though. A couple of the office chains guarantee next day delivery on any order in my area, and it can be really convenient to place an order in 60 seconds & have it delivered to my door the next morning. No driving, no traffic, no gas, no rain or snow, no parking, no annoying salespeople who can't answre your questions anyway...

I've already reduced my usage of video rental shops to near-zero in favor of Netflix.