High end vs internet

I would offer one comment in defense of most dealers on the subject of arrogance, lack of great courtesy, and all that. Consider that many people contributing to A'gon leave after a certain number of years and repetitions of the same topic threads. Now consider that, professionally, you have to hear those same elementary questions 15 times a day every day. Do you think your patience and courtesy will not undergo at least some level of modification? Also, suppose you are pissed about the last guy who just wasted hours of your time without buying, and somebody new shows up 5 minutes later. Can you wash it all away and pretend the day just started?
I'm not a people-type, but I sympathize with dealers who are expected to be.

I agree with Tok2000's first 3 points but the 5th is wrong. There are some very fine dealerships in the Bay Area that are trying to do a signficant high end music business, not just ht. There is no way a store owner can pay salaries and overhead on 10-15% markup. The reason a car dealership gets away with 10-15% is that they sell large volumes - exactly the opposite of high end audio.
I appreciate the expertise and experience of good audio shops plus the need to audition before buying, and I will not waste a dealer's time. MSRP is the differential that allows them to continue doing high end.