Ummm first off...do you really want your name to be a bunch of ascii characters?

Secondly...ok let me read this...

/90minutes later and 7 beers

1 - feeling confident in a dealer is important as they will be your shop...thats worth $$$
2 - MSRP is subjective to the company. This isn't real but these are semi-accurate examples
Kona - requires you to list msrp and allows a 10% drop in price to look like a sale
specialized - requires you list at msrp till july 31st when you can drop
Giant - List price only until close outs begin

I think you get the idea. Don't get fooled by different companies offering "sales" on product.

29" wheels...good vs bad has been covered. It comes down to personal preference and where you ride. On the terrain here with an abundance of pros I know (xc and dh) no one rides 29" wheels...period. Never seen one, the shop doesn't even try. Do a search here and ESPECIALLY mtbreview forums to get an overall feel for how and where you ride

Shimano vs Sram is also subjective. Depends on the ability of how it is setup by the mech and quality vs quality. Different levels feel different etc...

In the end...ride what feels comfortable that can handle what you can throw at it, in the end thats all the matters.