I’m a little embarrassed to admit this to you, but I only discovered online grocery shopping this week. I mean, I’ve always known about grocery delivery services, but those seemed a bit too indulgent, my inner frugalista outweighing my efficiency-obsessed side. Until this week when a coworker mentioned that he does his grocery shopping online and then schedules to have the order ready for pickup on his way home from work. Now that’s a compromise I can get behind.

How much shopping do you do online?

Books, makeup, home accessories – when an item comes across my radar the first place I look to find what I need is online. My Amazon Wishlist is stocked with books I only found about when they appeared as recommendations based on my purchases. One of my favorite places to shop doesn’t even have a store I could physically visit, Etsy.

And I can’t lie – once those holiday jingles start taking over the airwaves I know it’s time to start my shopping. Online. Every year I make it a goal to do as much shopping online as possible; I have yet to achieve my personal Grail, which would be to avoid a box store entirely. And lest you think I’m a complete Grinch, with three nephews and a niece scattered down the Eastern Seaboard, I can shop, wrap and ship gifts with a few mere clicks. Now that’s a jolly holiday.

Buying clothes online, of course, is a true test of shopper’s dedication. I love being able to click on a “Reviews” option to see what other buyers thought of the product. On the flip side, I am genuinely shocked that there are still big-name retailers that treat their website as practically nothing more than a digital version of their catalog. Perhaps J.Crew thinks that opinions and reviews of their products are best left to (their very dedicated following of) bloggers.

There are, of course, plenty of items that are better purchased in-store rather than based solely on size measurements and strangers’ shared experiences. Luxury items, certainly; bathing suits and jeans, probably. Part of luxury shopping is the customer service – sure it’s the same scarf online and on the shelf, but many consumers enjoy the entire experience of visiting Hermes and walking out with that signature bag in hand.

This isn’t, of course, to say that I’ve sworn off going into stores altogether. Just today, in fact, I took not one but two trips to Lowes. Some inefficiencies – especially with home-ownership – just can’t be avoided.

Do you “click” with online shopping? I’d love to hear your favorite sites and why!