wordpress as a cms

I go back and forth between wordpress and joomla when I need a cms. I’d like to totally commit to wordpress because I think it’s easier for the beginner user to manage content. However I can’t seem to get wordpress to work as well in certain areas. Mainly commerce, calendar for events, message forum and gallery. Can someone relate their experience using wordpress in these areas with a link to a relevant site as an example. I’m think what plugin’s / carts/system (paypal, google) you used. Thanks.