You already know the answer @Cube. Rejecting someone in person is hard. It might be a bit cowardly, but she's only human. It's less about hurting your feelings than it about saving face for herself and protecting herself (maybe she's turned people down before and they've gone nuts on her). If she tells you in person then she has to deal with the fallout immediately, by text/online she just sends the message and then walks away.
The important part is a) people are interested in you and b) you're getting out there. Keep going, you'll get better and more confident with each one. Your dating game is way surpassing mine already.