The cost of shopping

With gas costs rising and e-commerce getting so much better and competitive, I have to believe that more consumers are shifting their purchases to the internet.

I drive an incredibly fuel efficient car, and I get concerned about running errands, between the miles and the gas. If I run an errand to a store that is 3 miles away, that would be 6 miles total and approximately 10 minutes of time. At $0.42 a mile, that would be $2.52 in gas and car expenses, and at $20 an hour cost of free time, $3.34. So, add approximately $6 to your bill and you'll get an idea of the added cost of going out and shopping.

Sure, shopping can be entertaining. And sometimes you can get some good bargains out in the stores. Brick and mortar stores take coupons you can cut from the Sunday paper, too.

I prefer to buy things online personally, and I bet more and more people are starting too as well. Brick and mortars - watch out! I wonder what will happen to real estate prices as more commerce goes e.

Some brick-and-mortar retailers are really hitting e-commerce on the head:
* Staples.com
* RadioShack.com

I'm curious to see how CVS.com grows. Their B&M operations is first class, but their online systems are sub-par in my opinion. That also goes for Super Stop & Shop.