I've had more cars stolen than bikes .. and my bikes are worth more than my cars! Where are you folks hanging that you can't leave a well-locked bike outside a store for 15 minutes without fear of getting it stolen?
Most decent locks are pretty hard to get through .. don't bring the wheels or whole bike through a store or your work, it's just pretentious. Bikes (along with small children and pets) don't belong in restaurants or stores. Leave 'em in the parking lot.