Many companies are happy to lay off domestic workers and find cheap-as-possible labor abroad. If the product I like isn't popular enough, they won't hesitate to discontinue it no matter what I want.

They pollute the airways and roadsides with manipulative marketing without our permission or consent. In other words, they use our space and time and attention. Why can't we use theirs?

Besides, the practice of buying online what you find in physical stores is part of a larger evolution of retail. Progress is good. The market is finding the most efficient delivery system for each category of goods.

Some products, like books and music, are far more efficiently bought online. Others, like clothing, milk and bread are better when bought in real life. The smart companies are doing both, offering the convenience of retail shopping and also the huge selection and discounted pricing of online buying.

If purchasing habits never evolved, we'd all still be buying trinkets from traveling peddlers. Ruthless opportunism by consumers has created millions of jobs and transformed modern life. So when I find things in stores and buy online, I'm not just kicking mom and pop while they're down. I'm also helping the economy.