First and foremost, someone should get the bike they want. They should be limited to whatever bikes their LBS's stock. A person should also not overpay just to buy from an LBS. Too expensive is too expensive, no matter where that product is. It's important to keep in mind that one LBS is not like another. You should buy from an LBS if they can't wrench on bikes correctly or if their customer service sucks.
Any reputable LBS will service a customer who bought their bike online just as if that customer had bought their bike at the LBS. Any LBS that won't do that, doesn't deserve anyone's patronage.
