I enjoy visiting and dealing with the local bike shops. Recently I have visited many in Austin/Dallas/Houston/Fredericksburg while searching for my next bike. Fortunately I travel these areas for business so my access to them is vey convenient.
With that being said, I have found a great value in visiting and talking with knowledgable people and hearing about their experiences. Most shops here offer a year of maintenance with a purchase.I see a tremendous value in that alone. I am in favor of supporting small local business even at a higher cost in most cases where I see a value added service and they have the product I want.
The internet is a great place to obtain knowledge and is a good resource but my need and desire for a LBS is not decreased by the stroke of a key pad.