I disagree. It's not fantasy at all. Last year I purchased a couple of SLX cranksets online for $140 at a time when a nearby bike shop had them on the shelf for $240. I bought new-in-the-box parts. Even now you can pay $249 at REI or $153 at Chain Reaction. That is a significant price range and it pays to shop around.

OEM parts and closeouts provide even better deals. If one is not picky about brand and model, and is willing to settle for whatever handlebar, shifters, seatpost, crankset etc., might be on closeout at a given time, one can save a fair bit of money on parts. I've been buying LX cranks rather than SLX due to the pricing at Jenson. You do need to know your way around the bike though, and be able to do your own work.