Am I asking too much?

Truth can be a bit....chilly....

@asvjerry that just seems like a very tortured rationalization for bad service.  if you don’t want to do b&m don’t do it.  i know another local place that doesn’t do that much high end - they carry Mcintosh for those who want to spend a lot on audio.  but where they make their money is thru amazon sales - they move a ton of product, mainly of video variety, and most of it is not local.  that’s how they survived financial crisis.  i buy my non-audiophile stuff there - tvs, sonos, av receivers, etc., nothing big, but i have a relationship with the store manager - I’m not important to his bottom line, but he’ll do extra stuff for me - have been friendly for over 10 years.  way better business person - realizes that “how you do anything is how you do everything.”

mdalton, Yes...tortured perhaps.  But I was making a 'ho' observation of your situation, however flawed it may be.  No intent of rubbing your fur backwards over it.

Frankly, I liked 'b&m' as it existed in the past.  Having lived the bulk of my life in large areas (SoCal, SF Bay area, Houston, in that order), time & tide have condensed the 'good outlets' to a pitiful few, the 'big box' outlets have become chains, the 'multimedia' b&m's apparently catering to those who have the $ to impress with the 'wide screen experience' overruling all else....

A cynical observation, Yes.*shrug*  I'll stand to be damned over it.

Hey, I admire your bringing a 401 into SOTA status; new arm, wonderful cart, all that...  No doubt you've the equipment that'll make the time and investment bring you pleasure for the trouble.

Me?  Yup, I eBay, Craigs', Amazon, troll the Habitats, the SalvArmy, etc.
In the past, I had the disposable $ to feed the habit, and it was fun.

It still is...fun, that is. But it doesn't mean my desires and expectations have totally gone to dregs.  It's just my focus is a bit different these daze. ;)

I wish I had a 'relationship' with a store mgr.
Unfortunately, I live now in a local where the 'stores' don't have the offerings that even begin to approach 1K$ carts....or mgrs' that would care to know me personally.

I go into these outlets fully aware that I know a lot more about their products then the bright-eyed sales staff does.  They're pretty easy to haul into the deep end of the pool...

And then there is the fact that I spend a certain amount of my 'audio time' DIY'ing an updated version of a Walsh omni speaker.
Most don't have any clue as to wtf I'm refering to or about...or Why.

Why?

Because I can....and, having some success at it.
On a shoestring...because I can.
And you don't.
Nor anyone else Here.

I'd LOVE to have the opportunity to have a pair of my 'little mutants' attached to your cables.
I'd even LOVE to have us blow the pair up...just to see what the 'upper limit' on them is.
I'd learn something from it, +5 years into the process.

As is said:
No Fear.

Anyway....good luck with the Koetsu.
I bear you no malice, only a stance.
What others think of what I do....is not a concern to me.
Nor, what they do...to each...

Regards, J

millercarbon...A suggestion: Go to your window, open it, and shout at the top of your lungs: "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!" You'll feel so much better after you get that built up anger (you say disgust) out of your system. All that just because a dealer wouldn't set up a turntable for a customer. I agree, he should, or at least pay for someone else to do it. Your reaction, and attack on the dealer, and other dealers, was a little over the top.

I work in a small B&M HiFi store founded 45 years ago.  Our business is ekeing out just enough to hang on.  Our customer base is ageing out...WE are ageing out!  We get more calls from widows wanting to unload their late husbands' systems than "new blood".  But we all are schooled in phono setup and never let a customer do it themselves (unless they insist).  We don't charge extra if they buy the cart from us.  That's a significant value we add compared to anyone else in our area.  Service is not dead!