What makes you shop online?

The rate of online shopping is increasing dramatically with eBay and ASOS, as well as bricks and mortar retailers taking their stores online. I personally love shopping online, its generally cheaper, easier and is you don't have to leave the house!

Do you ever walk into a store and not purchase something because the shop assistants are rude, in-attentive, or un-helpful? I have. I walked into a store (which will remain unnamed) was not greeted, and when I asked a question, they shop assistant responded in a condescending 'you're an idiot for asking that' kind of way. This is not to say I don't enjoy shopping in store, I love walking around the shops for hours, but customer service does influence whether I purchase or not. Has customer service always been like this?

Or has the rise in online stores compromising the in-store experience and customer service?
A recent Choice survey says yes.
They put 10 retailers to the test including department stores, specialty retailers, discount department stores and franchises. The conducted a 'shadow shop' to observe customer service. Here are the results:

In-store experience comprises of a number of things including store layout, atmosphere, smells, sounds, colours and customer service. Customer service is a key component missing from online shopping, so it is vital for in-store retailers to master to ensure they do not loose customers to competing online retails. Many negatives of customer service have been outlined in the above survey including poor product knowledge and customer engagement. If you ask a shop assistant a question, you expect them to know the answer, is it really that hard to know about the products you are selling? In other industries workers are expected to have in-depth knowledge about their job, for example builders must know about tools, hairdressers must know how to cut hair, bartenders need to know in-depth knowledge about wine, and of course marketers must understand principles behind creating consumer value!
Why should people in retail be excused from knowing details about their job?

Have you ever not purchased from a store due to the in-store experience or customer service?
Do you think the rise in online stores is compromising customer service?