I think you also have to factor in the variability of the hobby as well. There are so many ways to do so many things that it's impossible to come up with a tried and true solution for everyone. As a novice the method I researched may not be the method the employee has been taught. The employee has mostly been trained ( I’m sure ) to offer up solutions according the material stocked on the shelves. While it might not be the overall best solution to the issue at hand it's not necessarily wrong.
We all have to at the very least remember that this is a business designed and built to make money. The general public may put too much faith in the employee. Case in point how many people would take the word of a used car salesman saying this car was only driven by a little old lady to church on Sundays. It happens sure, but I bet it's far less than the people walking in to buy a tank and a clown fish the first day. As mentioned above the buyer needs to be educated as well as the employee.
I ( and I'm sure everyone here ) use those big box stores. I really like the guys at my small LFS and enjoy talking with them, but let’s be honest sometimes it's nice to run into the big box store grab what you need off the shelf and take off, in and out in 2.3 minutes. There is a place for them.
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Robb
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