Does the Internet Know Your Name?

Would you guess that the end of April and beginning of May are busy for retailers?  It seems that after Easter retail slows down.  Long, hot summer months ahead, people on vacation or sending their kids to camp, way too hot to get out and shop.
But May is one of the busiest months of the year.  We have Mother's Day, Teacher Appreciation, Graduations all through the month and even in June.  We have Proms, Weddings, End of School Parties and some people are even thinking ahead to Father's Day.
A store like Sweet Tooth doesn't carry necessities, like soap, milk, eggs, bread.....What we supply is happiness, fun, novelty, yummy treats and sparkling gifts like jewelry.  Now who says those things aren't necessary to having a great life??  Well, they are necessary and they make the curves in the road, the bumps along the highway....you get it.....a lot more pleasant and enjoyable.
At Sweet Tooth we like to say that our store is a "home away from home" where (like CHEERS) people know your face, perhaps even know your name.  If we can't be that sort of store, we would just close the doors and go home.
Do you get those warm feelings from the Internet?  I don't, even though once in a while I do order something online.  There isn't anything personal about getting a book or a cd from Amazon.  Oh yeah, when you sign on you are "greeted" by name...of course, that is good retailing, even though it is mechanical and not truly said with a smile on someone's face. 
Internet Sales is getting a lot of attention these days in Congress.  You've probably been keeping tabs on whether internet companies with over $1 million dollars in sales will have to collect sales tax from every customer.  Actually I haven't heard all the details but I do know that it isn't easy for a small home-grown store to compete with the Internet. 
It really isn't fair when someone comes into a local business, tries on their shoes, prices their goods or test drives their cars and then goes online to order what the local retailer has shown them.  So the fact that the customer even goes to a local business to see, feel, test, taste, etc. the merchandise he or she wants tells me that that person really does want the opportunity to check out the merchandise IN PERSON before purchasing.
Local retailers collect sales tax, keep records of sales, can even be audited by the state and put in jeopardy if the records aren't accurate or the tax hasn't been sent in to the state.
No such thing with most Internet Sales.
Let's talk more about this whole Internet Sales debate.  I hope that in the end the challenges of a "brick and mortar" retailer are seriously considered before a new law is put in place.