If you're so sure about this, you should see the shop I recently had experience with. Every other bike shop I've visited--including two other Trek shops--is as you describe. In fact, there is an upscale shop in a nearby city that sells Pinarello and other premium brands, at very premium prices. I've found them more accessible when I stopped in to ask a question or look for a special piece of hardware. In my everyday attire, I felt underdressed to walk through their doors. They're in a super trendy neighborhood, in a building that looks like it was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The parking lot is usually filled with Teslas and Range Rovers, maybe a few riff-raff Audis or Volvos. They did not give me any attitude, but seemed like they'd be happy to help me, provided I could get a second mortgage to cover their prices.

At the Trek store, one of the employees is very polite and obviously committed to customer service. But he's not knowledgeable about bikes. He's clearly new to the industry and getting trained. I'm fine with that; it's actually something I like to see. Another (the mechanic) seemed irritated that I wanted to talk to him, just to ask a few questions about the bike and get his take on it. On my first visit, when I was instructed to bring the bike in for a pre-service inspection, the mechanic was on break or MIA, so I had to wait 20 minutes for any service. Not busy with a high volume of customers, just nobody available. While I was waiting, another customer came to buy a replacement tire. They wanted the guy's home address, phone number, and email for their database. The checkout process was taking so long, he stopped them to ask if he could just fork over the forty bucks and go. The kind fellow helping him said something like, "Oh, I guess so." He seemed a little afraid to deviate from company policy on the process. The manager is the one who gave me sassy attitude through the whole experience. Never seemed interested in making sure I'm well taken care of, but gave me a strong vibe that she is constrained to do things in a very strict manner to keep the lawyers happy. Perhaps I'm an anomaly or my experience was the exception. I checked some online reviews, and the shop has very high ratings overall. Many customers have given them shining reviews.

I have no doubt Porsche would have tried to upsell me in the hypothetical situation I suggested above. But I'm certain there is no auto dealership of any brand that requires a complete pre-service inspection before they will even put you on their schedule. That's the part that, more than anything, made me say "Wha... I mean... Are you serious?"

I saw a few BikeForum SSFG members weigh in on the chain price, too. It was mostly to the effect of "If you don't like it, you could learn to do that job yourself." Very true. In fact, I already have that ability, but I like the concept of supporting shops in our current economy. I'd hoped they would be glad I'm giving them some business and would treat me accordingly. Just so we have it all in black and white: Trek charged me $43 for a Shimano 9-speed HG, (plus installation labor). The same chain is $32 at another national retail chain's brick and mortar stores. Not the online price, not a clearance sale or open box special. I stand by my claim that Trek is getting an awfully high opinion of themselves. This is why I'm taking to heart the advice repeated several times in this thread: "You should just do all your own maintenance."

Because I think it's good to give the follow up-in a thread like this, here's the rest of the story. I picked up the bike, and it looked pretty good. Paid my $130, then decided to take a little test ride in the parking lot. It was not shifting right, but actually got worse than before I took it in. I went right back and showed the mechanic what was happening. He looked at it again on the spot, made another adjustment, and now it seems to be right. We went out of town for a wedding right after this, so my wife has not yet had a chance to take it for a real ride. We hope to do so tonight or tomorrow, and I definitely hope she'll be favorably impressed with the bike's function.

To be fair, I'm not angry or upset about the outcome. By the end, two of the three people I dealt with were quite reasonable. And I've had good experiences there in the past. The shop is expensive, but that's sort of to be expected. I got my rant out to help me feel better after the initial frustration. At this point, will I ever return to that business? Maybe. If so, it will be their last chance to win me over as a customer.