My LBS saves me money. Of course, I do them favors, so I get a good discount. But I don't try to use my own judgement on what will work best for my needs most of the time, I let them advise me, and they get the sales. I know people that buy things on the internet that end up spending much more because they do it wrong. It's not that easy, and experience is worth it. Of course, I have a very good bike shop. Some of them are way to arrogant and don't try to understand your needs before they tell you what you really want. The oldest bike shop in town will do that, and every time I go in there I leave feeling annoyed. I know this sounds contradictory, but there is a subtle and important difference between the two approaches.