I look for moreso the components in a bike, not so much the brand name. Another importsnt factor IMO is how well the bike is put together. Some LBS's take 20min to build a bike in peak season, while others take 30 - 40min per bike. I would prefer the bike that was put together in 35min, then the one that was put together in 20min. I've put bikes together before so its not a problem for me, but for the general public, thats another thing you might want to look out for. Take "X-Mart" as an example .

IMO Trek arn't such a bad company, they have a lot of good bikes, and I would say value for money.