As a new rider I must chime in.
Bike stores make me feel uncomfortable. There are only a few within a 100 mile radius of my house. One guy cut me a deal because a friend that was with me works with his company. Yet I still do not feel comfortable talking to him. Maybe it's the matter of fact tone that he uses. Whatever it is puts me on edge and pushes me to buying stuff online.
I get the same vibe from this bikeforums webpage. I do get some honest help, but I see a lot of jackasses that are rude and forget that everyone was new at some point.