Long Distance Shopping

I'm a hands-on shopper. I do have half a dozen basics that I routinely buy online, including shampoo and hand lotion, because my local stores have stopped carrying my favorites. The brand is there, but the version that I want isn't. After that, any catalog or online purchasing gets tricky. I know that many people do the majority of their shopping online. But I just can't get over wanting to look at and sometimes feel the product that I'm buying. For one thing, colors don't always look the way they do in the photo. And the fabric description only tells you so much. You never know what you're going to get. Cheap, thin, or stiff fabric can look great in a photo. Then there's the ever-present issue of fit. I do lot of knitting and crocheting and yarn is hard to buy online. I need to see the colors. I was over-the-moon excited a year ago when I found out that a major craft store was going to be built about ten minutes from me. I actually wasted time worrying that I'd spend too much time there. Despite all the big box stores that are still popping up, many of the new stores are small. Really, really small. After much fanfare the craft store opened and on my first visit I was nearly crushed with disappointment. I'd only be exaggerating slightly if I said it looks like part of a dollhouse display. The worst part is that the yarn section is maybe a quarter of what it is in the older, larger stores. A total bummer. The other stores near it are pint-sized as well. Clearly I'm in the minority. I have to assume that so many people are shopping online that the companies don't need to pay for a lot of brick-and-mortar space. I feel a though my shopping world is slipping away. What really worries me is that since I work at home, if I have to give up all my in-person shopping, I'll qualify as a hermit. Maybe I can chat with the delivery people.