Why on line stores rule and B&M need to figure out a way to compete

First let me say that I'm not completely against buying stuff from my local hobby shop. The people that run the place always seem nice and mostly helpful. But dear lord does it seem like a price gouge walking into the place. Here's an example. I started collecting a Khador army for Warmachine. So I went to the local spot to see what a Berserker heavy warjack would cost (btw Khador is the best because of all of the heavies in their army).

So I walked into the place, talked to the owners for a few minutes and took a look. They wanted $27 for the Berserker. This is where the fun started. The suggested retail price on the manufacturer's own website (Privateer Press) is $24.99. So right there they're charging an extra $2. I did not buy there. Instead, I went home and went on line. In 30 seconds of googling I was able to find the same thing for $15.83 at CCG Armory. Even with shipping, I'm still about $7 ahead of the game. So is the loss of instant gratification by buying in store worth the $7.

You're damn right it was.

But back to the point, I still buy my paint and the occasional mini from the local place. But they're just priced to high on the minis themselves most of the time. I know they have more overhead than the on line places but hopefully a good shop combats some of this by having dedicated game nights where they have sealed box games or just leagues where you pay a small fee to play, and the top few get door prizes every week. I know the local store guys are typically getting a break already from the distributor so I'd at least like them to be priced at what the manufacturer believes is fair.

Until I start feeling a little less gouged when I walk into a shop, I'm sticking with on line stores. Typically I'm ordering multiple items so the shipping cost is spread out. Plus, I am cheap.