Understandably!
Right yeah re: visiting. It's the old dilemma of "Try in the shop but pay a premium, leap in to the void and pay a good price online, or try in the shop, burn up their time, don't give them any cash but go on to buy online. I've done it a lot, because I am usually pretty hard up.
I always felt like if I bought something, I was doing the best I can, even if it was a sandwich and coffee.
These days I mostly go by reviews, but there have been a few occasions where I just wouldn't have bought something had I tried it as there's something shite about it that bugs me. I think on balance my strategy has given me the best bang for buck, but I have some gear I keep just in case because I don't like to use it.