I just ordered shoes from Shoes.com (where else?). In checking out, they included this reassuring note:

Using your credit card at Shoes.com is safer than using it in a store. All information is encrypted and transmitted without risk using a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol.

First, it is funny I am posting this, about 10 Internet years after this discussion was first had. Second, I do not understand how it is safer than visiting a store, unless the store being visited is doing something blatantly wrong. At best, I see online shopping as secure as adventuring into the real world.