I think it depends which side of the counter you are on!
I have stood both sides - and neither is perfect!
RocketRob makes some good points - I lost count of the number of times a car arrived, from eBay (other auction sites are available!) or somewhere, and a customer needed a bit. A hour or so later it was sourced and often fitted FOC in an effort to win a long standing customer. Rarely worked! More often than not, as Rob puts it, I was 'nickle and dimed' to death by said customers.
Worse than that - when busy the people who kept the shop open by buying all their gear from me had to wait for service. Not good - they would have a case to complain as well, perhaps they may have thought we should have more staff as we were snowed under. However those hour long 'dimes' made no real profit to pay for more staff!
Adding to this is the incredibly low margins for shops. Competition is good for consumers - drives down prices. Bad for shops - drives down proft!
I advise you support a local shop wherever you can - buy everything you can from them and build a relationship. Even if you move away they will remember you and still go out of their way for you.
Take pity on the shopkeeper - he/she works hard for little profit. Trust me, although you spend lots on a kit, he/she takes little from it except to hope that they have a long standing customer.
A friend of mine, a successful business man, says 'In this country profit is a dirty word' - he is right. People begrudge a shop keeper when they focus on profit. But they have to eat! Without a focus on profit, they close - and we all start to loose our local shops.
From a customers' point of view - you have the right to be met with politeness and helpfulness everytime you visit. We always tried to do this. People enjoyed coming to our shop - it was a social meeting place for racers and hobbyists alike.
Just remember - support your favoured shop with all your purchases - it is a lot easier to smile as a shopkeeper when you are making a living rather than working for free!
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