Easier to pick up a book on a whim online than in a bookstore

I've read a few articles recently that claim that one of the big advantages of brick-and-mortar bookstores is the ability to expose yourself to a wide variety of material all at once. E-bookstores are too targeted and "clinical", compared to the ability to wander the aisles of a real store and browse through whatever catches your fancy.

While I suppose it is true that there is some benefit to being exposed to an eclectic variety of materials I have always found a visit to the bookstore to be somewhat anxiety-inducing. If I am blasting in to pick up a specific book then there's no problem. Make a bee-line to the correct section, find out if the book you want is on the shelves. Grab it, queue up at the cash register, pay and get out. The anxiety, however, appears as soon as I try to make a purchase decision with only the information available in the bookstore.

Is it the first book in a series? Is it the best choice for a first book by the author? If non-fiction, is it the best resource available? Is it out of date?

The greatest variety of books and the answers to the questions that inform my purchase are on-line, not on the shelves of a bookstore. Of course there is the staff to help you out--sometimes you get someone available, knowledgeable and helpful, but I've found that to be the exception to the rule.

I have no trouble browsing among varied subject areas and genres, there are so many sites that organize, review, and comment on authors and books that if you're even the least bit curious you can find your way to the unlikeliest of books. For example Fantasy Book Critic: The Top Books of 2008 Revisited (by Liviu Suciu) leads to dozens of possible choices for my next read.

I don't miss the fluorescent lights, the noise, the crowds, and the limited selection. All things being equal, if I had to pick between an hour in a book store or the any other type of shop I'd take the book shop any day. Things aren't equal, however. I do my book shopping at home and only suffer the queues, crowds, and inconvenience when I have to.