you know that Competitive cyclist is part of Backcountry as well.... I hate to say that i only use LBS for big repairs or full maintenance. I try buying from the local, but they'd have to order 90% of the stuff i needed anyway.. then i'd have to make it to the shop to pick up..
I think the LBS has to go above and beyond to stay in the retail parts game. Maybe some already do this, but not the 2 that are most ce (i'm not naming as i don't want to start an on-line war).. When i got my road bike from the LBS a few years ago, i used their sizing, but the bike came with x width bars... i wanted wider as soon as i road it. had to buy new bars... no discount, or exchange. Another example... this time bought mtb on-line, wanted to experiment with different length stems... Asked if i could try different ones w/o buying... nope. Is it too much to have a bunch of sizes of these "customizable" parts around that you can "demo" for a price that is refunded if you buy an upgrade from them?
To me, this would be a value add that you couldn't get from on-line (because of the pain in the ass of returning stuff to some on-line vendors)...