You have a point. A good salesperson will manage all his (or her) customers to the betterment of the store. That means if it appears that you simply are pumping for information and others are waiting in line, you may be "put on hold" for a while. The person who looks like he is going to buy probably will get most the attention. I think the only "stealing" is if you monopolize the sales person to the detriment of others when you have no intention of buying.

I have such poor luck with internet buying that I usually go to a regular store. In fact, my luck is so bad at either internet or store sales that I am about to do a lot more making of my own gear. All the "specfications" in the world do less for me than actually feeling and trying on the gear. But the brick and morter store is no sure thing either - they never have my size.

I am lucky- TarpTent is a 45 minute drive from my house! Wish other small manufacturers were so close. Because of internet shopping, most stores now have a much reduced inventory for us to look at. It is just a matter of time and I think most regular stores will be reduced to a kiosk for internet buying with a few gear gurus around to help out.