I've seen some of the stores you've mentioned. It's really too bad they haven't caught on, yet. It could be a great way to help people in the blockchain build a thriving business using STEEM. I mean, imagine if SteemGigs or another similar website/service got mainstream recognition. Right now, though, most products or services being sold using STEEM are just for blockchain-related projects, which is still a pretty small space.

And yeah, it would be nice to be able to exchange fiat for STEEM without jumping through too many hoops, every time.