As a BMX'er I grew up hating dept store bikes...

I had a GT, and my little Brother had a Supercycle. One day I was out jumping off a tiny ledge, then bunny hoping over some near by curbs. After the 10th time my Brother who was watching me, had to give it a go! Well his stem instantly snapped, which made him face plant into the pavement and he broke his arm so bad the bone was sticking out through the skin...The difference in quality was a huge safety issue. No amount of savings would get me on a cheap bike.

Fast forward 20 years, and the lines of poor quality/mid quality has blurred quite a bit. My friend rides his CCM (Cheap MTB) everyday on a 20 min commute to work, even in the winter. He' had the bike for three years now and it's held up just fine. The only difference between his bike and a slightly better bike is sealed ball bearings. It slightly annoys me that a $10 better part = Hundreds of dollars extra in retail markup. The bikes is after all welded in the same country, with the same materials etc.

I also just saw an ad for someone to "Set Up Bikes" at retail stores in my area. It pays $5 - $14can depending on the bike. That doesn't sound like much, and because it's piece work I can see how mistakes can be made.