I'm fine with buying fabric in person. I honestly don't chew through it the way some here do (I hand-quilt and I only do one quilt at a time, so I'm only making a small handful per year). If I'm looking for a specific color scheme or design, I'll buy it online, but part of the draw for me is going to the store, pulling out bolts, putting them together, and chatting with the shop assistants.
One thing I buy almost exclusively online is running gear. That stuff is expensive and most of the places to get that stuff around here are big-box stores--so they're not really hurting for my money.