> With B&M shopping, even if you know exactly what you want, you have no idea if it's actually in-stock at your local $store.
Many stores, especially the chains, have webpages that tell if an item is available in a store or not.
Many stores, especially the chains, have webpages that tell if an item is available in a store or not.
And as the other responder said, those inventory counts might not be accurate; if there's only one in stock, and someone just bought it 10 minutes ago, is the webpage really updated that fast?
Amazon uses fast shipping, but they won't guarantee when it ships. I've been burned more than once (I mostly quit using them a couple years ago) because the thing I wanted didn't ship in time.
I've seen online shipping speeds get a lot faster over the past couple of years so if you have quit than you might be surprised at speed and value if you come back.