I don't think Cmalak lives in a dream world at all. My shop is The Analog Shop in Victor NY. The owner (Bob) prefers you to set up an appointment. If you set up an appointment, he blocks out his calendar for you. Once you walk in the door, he locks it behind you. He asks questions to get a feel for what you might be looking for. When he sits you down to listen to something, he basically gives you complete control and walks away for awhile. Zero high pressure sales tactics. You can walk out the door without even talking about buying anything because he realizes the scale of the decision. He's a great relationship builder and he's been in business for a very long time because of the way in which he conducts his business. There's nothing better than a shop that is owned and run by the same person and that person truly loves what they do. Previously I was buying equipment from a store that had 3 salesmen working the floor at the same time. Nothing more annoying to me than being in a listening room with other customers. That's not a good way to listen and it's not a good way to spend your hard earned money. I would find a shop that takes appoinments. If you're spending 10k, that's the least they can do for you and you can do for yourself. It's one less distraction.
