Two of the three LHSs around here have extremely experienced clerks. And the owners have forgotten more about modeling than most average modelers know.

I was in one of them in the morning one day and a beginner was just asking about flying. I happened to come back in the afternoon, and the guy was still there. Being helped. They were building a stack of stuff and the center of it was an excellent trainer. There wasn't a thing in the stack that shouldn't have been. And the clerk was tickled to see me. He had already given the guy flyers from all 3 clubs in the area, but wanted him to "get a 2nd opinion" on all the stuff PLUS wanted the guy to absolutely make contact with an instructor. And that's not even the best shop of the three in the area.

You got a LHS that sucks. Go out to the club field and ask the guys there where they buy their stuff. You want good help? Go where it is almost always found.