I think I need to admit I am totally in love with Amazon.com. Not really in love, but I have so many wonderful expectations.
I was an early adopter of internet shopping because of Amazon. I'm not sure when I made my first purchase but it was back in the days when dial-up was king.
The reason I shop at Amazon is because Amazon knows me as a customer. In retail, there's no other store that I am getting that from right now.
Take book shopping. I generally decide to shop for a book when I come across a title or author while I am doing something else. If I take this information to Big Box Retail Book Store (and I am lucky) I can find a specific book I am looking for. Generally, I wind up spending a lot of time looking at the bargain book racks and taking home some great deal that I'll never open.
Thanks to Amazon I've found enjoyable books that I wouldn't have even know to look for at Big Box Retail Book Store. That's the kind of shopping experience I come back for.