FOLLOWUPS: Regarding yesterday’s post on the Universal Package Opener, reader Jamie (“No relation to Megan”) McCardle writes:

My mother-in-law got me this for Christmas last year – EASILY my best Christmas gift of the year! It comes out once a week at least, and I wish I had one at work too. Nothing gets through those accursed plastic bubble packs better or with less pain. I use it even when the package says it’s “easy-open” and has directions for alternative opening methods. Hey… maybe I should actually order another!

I don’t think that two would double your pleasure — but I guess you could open packages in stereo? Meanwhile, in response to the post on gas prices and online shopping, reader Dale Britton emails:

Your site got me turned on to Amazon Prime a couple of years ago, and I’ve never looked back. I’m at the point now where I don’t buy things online that aren’t from Amazon – or don’t have free shipping for other reasons – because I figure if Amazon can do it for me, so can everyone else. And they will. Matter of time.

Hell, I very rarely buy in a brick & mortar store any more. When you figure taxes (7.75% in San Diego), gas ($4.50/gallon in San Diego), the intrinsically limited selection you can have in a physical store, the lack of knowledgeable salespeople, and the inability to instantly compare prices, it’s a no-brainer.

Plus the “experience” of actually shopping just blows these days. Case in point – just got back from a quick trip to Barnes and Noble with my friend. Loud kids, inadequate selection of what I was looking for, and obnoxious music blaring in the entry area of the store. After my friend mentioned how annoying their “thank you for shoppping” music was, I told her this is why people prefer online shopping, and why B&N is going in the tank.

P.S. Only reason I went? The item I ordered from Amazon is back ordered due to supplier issues, so I thought I’d see if B&N had it in stock. They didn’t.

Online shopping can save you a lot of trouble. On the other hand, I do like visiting real stores from time to time. I wish my local grocery stores would let me shop for groceries online and then get home delivery, though. You can buy nonperishables via Amazon, and sometimes I do, but you can’t really cut out your grocery store visits.

UPDATE: Reader Russ Emerson emails:

I’ve been doing my grocery shopping online for a couple of years, via Lowe’s Foods (http://www.lowesfoodstogo.com) – it’s a terrific convenience, particularly as I’ve become disabled and have tremendous difficulty strolling the aisles of the grocery store.

You can shop the website and choose next-day delivery (not cheap – $20, I think) or you can order for same-day pickup, with a three hour lead time, for a fee of about $5. If, like me, one has a hard time doing the shopping due to physical or time constraints, the service is well worth the expense. They even bring the goods out to your car for you.

I don’t know of other chains offering the same service, but I can’t see how they can avoid doing so in the future, if they want to remain competitive.

I agree. Meanwhile, I note that Sam’s Club offers “Click ‘n’ Pull for groceries, where you order online, they pull it, and you drive up. I’ve never used that, though.

ANOTHER UPDATE: A reader shares her experience with “click ‘n’ pull:”

Sam’s is not fun with four kids in tow. So Click-n-Pull, in theory, is a good idea. In reality, you still have to enter the store, whip out your card to prove you’re a member, and then maneuver said cart to the tobacco area, where you stand in line to pay for the items you shopped for online the day before. If any of those items are refrigerated, they have to be delivered separately, and thus you are dependent on whether or not the refrigeration/freezer department is fully staffed on the day you pick up your order and can respond to the intercom call put out by the tobacco cashier.

All that is after you stand in line behind every convenience store operator in a three state area as they buy cigs, candy bars, and Powerade by the case to stock their shelves. As you might guess, it’s not the time saver it could be if Sam’s would figure out a way to load orders of, say, ten items or less into the car at curbside and let me pay online when I place my order.

In theory, Sam’s could be a weekly shopping destination for me if Click-n-Pull revamped and made itself convenient. As it stands now, it’s a once a month hassle that I endure for cheap cheese and diapers.

I’m going to look into Amazon, though, for the diapers. Thanks for the tip!

Sounds like it’s not ready for primetime yet.