A brick and mortar store is a traditional street-side business that offers products and services to customers face-to-face in a physical store that the business owns or rents. The term "brick and mortar" is derived from the traditional building materials associated with physical buildings: bricks and mortar. Examples of brick and mortar stores include grocery stores, specialty stores, department stores, and banks. Brick and mortar stores offer a more personal shopping experience, where customers can speak with employees, ask questions about products or services, and test or try on products. They also provide consumers with instant gratification when a purchase is made. However, brick and mortar businesses have found it difficult to compete with web-based businesses like Amazon.com Inc. because the latter usually have lower operating costs and greater flexibility.