Final answer:
The act of examining a product in a physical store and then buying it online for a lower price is known as 'showrooming'. This practice can save customers money and help them avoid sales tax.
Step-by-step explanation:
The phenomenon you're describing occurs when a customer uses a retail store to examine a product in person, gets the necessary information about it, and then proceeds to purchase the product online to benefit from a lower price and possibly to avoid paying state sales tax. This process is commonly referred to as 'showrooming'. It's a practice that can be seen in various contexts, from ordering flowers over the internet for someone in a different city, to purchasing a device like a used laptop at a garage sale after researching it beforehand. Retailers often face challenges due to showrooming as it can lead to lost sales in physical stores.