A top executive at America's largest drug store chain, Walgreen, said its new telemedicine service is "all about extending convenience."

Patients will be able to see a doctor without leaving home or even visiting any of the stores' clinics. Walgreen is partnering with MDLive to give consumers access to round-the-clock medical care through a smart phone and tablet app. Virtual visits cost $49, and doctors can diagnose and treat conditions like pink eye that don't require a physical exam. They also can write prescriptions.

With Obamacare increasing the numbers of Americans who have health insurance coverage, Walgreen, CVS and other drugstore chains are expanding their health care offerings. These include in-store clinics with nurse-practitioners.

"Through various digital technology, health care providers are putting more responsibility for health care into their customers' hands in effort to reduce costs by avoiding more expensive office visits while improving quality through a more customer-friendly experience," said health care columnist Bruce Japsen of Forbes magazine.

Amazon Looks for Ways to Speed Up Deliveries

Convenience is also the goal of Amazon, with its plans to speed up home deliveries.

Amazon is "practicing one-hour deliveries with bike messengers in New York City," reported The Wall Street Journal.

The trials are part of an effort to cut delivery times.

Amazon is also experimenting with storage lockers at stores.

The largest e-commerce company also wants to use drones for small package deliveries, but that has faced opposition from the Federal Aviation Administration.

How to Prepare for Post-Holiday Returns

Many stores are making it more convenient for shoppers to return gifts and other unwanted stuff.

"A great majority of stores are now giving you a while after the holidays, a little bit more of a grace period," said Jessica Anderson of Kiplinger's Personal Finance.

Her advice to gift shoppers: "Just get gift receipts for everything you buy, regardless of whether the person has specifically asked for that or not."

Confidence Index at 7-Year High

The latest report on the improving economy is just out. The National Federation of Independent Businesses said its confidence index has reached a seven-year high. Small business expectations for the next six months improved.

Gas Prices Keep Falling

Another cause for optimism is falling fuel costs. The U.S. Energy Department said average gas prices fell more than 10 cents a gallon in the past week.

The average for regular is now $2.68, 59 cents less than a year ago.

Putting this another way, "Americans [are] saving over $225 million every day on gasoline purchases compared to what they were spending one year ago," said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst at Gasbuddy.

But the slide in gas prices has pushed down prices of energy company shares. Stock market futures dropped sharply this morning.