Amazon

A bookstore? Not quite. Amazon’s now got just about anything you’d ever want to buy, from videos to toys to DVDs to cameras to power tools and beyond — way beyond. But is that a reason to shop here? Nope. This is the retailer for the 21st century, where, along with its compendious selection, you will find product recommendations, wish lists, and reviews from people like you. You’re thinking about spending a few hundred bucks on a 12-megapixel camera or a 42-inch TV. Then why not spend a few minutes trolling through the scores of reviews, detailing every pro and con for your products-of-choice? No doubt about it: If you want to evaluate a product, Amazon is now a required stop on your route to decision-making. Other features, like Amazon’s auto-generated recommendations, direct you to even further wallet-emptying goodness. Once you start wandering Amazon’s byways, with its MP3 store and its Kindle reading device, you’re likely to find yourself spinning from all of the information (and, yes, products) available, even as your shopping cart (or your wish list) becomes hefty with would-be purchases.