Models like that are built on their distributors.

It's no secret that QBP and J&B have multiple shipping warehouses and same day shipping with automated inventory and online ordering.

This "I can order it myself" bit that people throw up is lacking in one critical way - if the LBS orders it for you they can have it before the end of the next day's business in most cases and they will absorb the shipping most of the time. Every shop in America has that ability because every one of them (pretty much) had a Q or JB acct. When They say"It will take a week" It's because they don't want to order too often...why?

If you pool together a week's worth of shipments/orders then you can usually hit the threshold for free shipping with the distributor. Also some of them aren't too computer savvy and still rely on sitting down with the catalog and pulling stock numbers and calling it all in.

BUT - if you want something and they don't stock it they CAN have it for you next day. These distributors ARE that warehouse of thousands of items and they have the money to support the country's inventory. They are also the lenders to the country's LBS's which is actually where the problem in the industry lies. When you're leveraged out to the gills on your credit terms with these guys then you have no option other than to play by their rules.