Online Shopping and Retailer Advertiing

Now the Big Retailers have started an advertising blitz to wind back public opinion on the benefits of Online Shopping it will be very interesting to see if they manage to sway any of public opinion, the Federal Government with regard to GST on articles under $1000 or other smaller businesses.
As a mere consumer, in a time of rising basic costs of living (water, electricity, food, petrol), discretionary spending is the area I'm most willing to control. I personally believe in living within my income, saving some $$ for a rainy day and purchasing quality goods for the best possible price.
I have subscribed to various Choice Consumer Magazines for years and access their premium content via my public library portal. I fully support Christopher Zinn and Choice Magazines stand on why the Big Retailers need to do more than just try and tax us more. I use websites that give me what I want - access to quality goods at a good price, with appropriate consumer support in term of warranties, Australian or OS affiliations etc.
If we are slugged with extra taxes the underground market for goods will only skyrocket and Australian businesses will get further left behind.
My partner runs a small business  - if he doesn't make the goods properly, to a high quality and get it overseas on time then he suffers. He uses his website to promote ordering but doesn't have the sophisticated web presence that may help improve his sales. He also struggles with payroll taxes,  employment conditions, being located in Australia rather than the US, like many others. The Internet has allowed him to develop his business more easily up til now. What the future holds is up to him and his workers.

Online Shopping

I've been a bit peeved lately by the endless comments about online shopping and how the retail industry is suffering. It seems the Australian population has learnt a little about the GFC and decided to keep their discretionary spending under a little control.(I'm not a big fan of the growth mantra)
I have been buying Christmas presents online for several years now. This is due to having family in 3 countries and being too miserly to pay excess Australia Post fees. Book Depository has been a great find with low prices as well as free delivery. I have used this site to obtain books for the kid's VCE studies as well as general presents etc. (Most of my books however come from the library and I am lucky to be able to buy some of these for the library collection)
However, this year past, I have for the first time bought a couple of more expensive digital items online and at some discount compared to the physical shops nearby. I have used the nearby shops to physically handle the items before doing a search on best prices. A bit like using Choice Shopper or my Union Shopper facility which on occasions I have also used. I normally choose an Australian online website and get an Australian warranty and return address. The service has been good, the couriers dispatched quickly and the item received in full without problems.
I think many of the Aussie stores have been far too slow to develop good online web presences. For example, I tried to get a particular book recently. It was published in Australia and not available in Book Depository or several other OS bookstores. But getting it from an Australian online store to my relative overseas was impossible. I can do this easily at Book Depository so why can't I do that with the online Aussie Bookstores??? (PS try Booko.com.au - great site)
So I hope the Government enquiry keeps some of the current rules and gives the retailers a boot up the proverbial for not getting the possibilites of Internet and eBusiness. However, online book buying shows the stupidity of the current book publishing rules, even if the authors and publishing industry here are sticking their heads in the sand. Customers like myself are voting with their wallets. I'd spend it here in Australia if I could get a similar price & service.