Sounds like a self-fulfilling prophecy. Small store knows competition is coming so it starts alientating existing customers? Bad business move. They should be doing everything possible to win loyalty before the new shop opens.
Well gotta give credit where credit is due. My LHS called me up today and offered to work out an issue I was having with some hardware. They are just going to swap out my defective items and hand me new ones to minimize my down time. Very classy move, and one that will bring me back again. I'm a perfect example as to how so little goes a long way.