I truly enjoyed going to high-end stores when I lived in L.A. Yeah, some places were run by high-handed snobs and others featured systems that just couldn't cut the mustard, but I always did my best to buy locally whenever possible. What a luxury being able to walk into a place and hear true high-end sound! It's something that allowed me to develop both an ear and sensibility. It's only recently that I moved to a tiny town thousands of miles away from retailers and've been forced to turn to mail order.
Why are brick and mortar HiFi dealers so bad?
I have rarely found a reasonably decent HiFi dealer and I live in the New York metro area where there are probably more per capita than anywhere else. I've been to a lot of shops and I'm tired of the smug attitudes, the lousy customer service, weird return policies, etc. Friends state that the owners are jaded because people come in and listen to a bunch of gear and then go buy it elsewhere or pre-owned on web sites like Audiogon. If that is the case, figure out a better sales strategy or shutter your store. I've moved onto Music Direct and Audio Advisor and Upscale Audio. Buy it and try it on your own system in your own listening room with a money-back guarantee. If you know a decent HiFi retailer, please pass it along.