While that still would represent only a small fraction of overall retail sales, the trend is causing some concern among brick-and-mortar retailers.

After years of hanging back, brick-and-mortar retailers, as sellers with real stores are now having to call themselves, are arriving on the Internet in droves.

Exclusive deals have not been restricted to brick-and-mortar retailers.

It is providing brick-and-mortar retailers with advertising kits that feature Blue Dog.

The company began as a traditional brick-and-mortar retailer, but became a fully Internet-based store.

Most brick-and-mortar retailers reportedly sold out their entire inventories within hours the morning of August 20.

"The untold story this year is the Internet, which clearly took a chunk out of the hide of the brick-and-mortar retailers," he said.

Wal-Mart is expected to show that brick-and-mortar retailers can beat e-tailers at their own game.

Music companies feared that issuing the songs any earlier could fuel piracy, upset traditional marketing plans and anger brick-and-mortar retailers.

If the Internet remains happily tax-free, perhaps brick-and-mortar retailers around the country will pressure their legislators to return to more equitable means of taxation.