I own a small retail sales/service shop in a non-outdoors field, one in which a lot of people buy on the web instead.
We are trained specialists in our field, so often shoppers come in and pick our brains and try out our equipment, and then go away "to think about it", never to be seen again. In some cases they might have gone home, surfed the web, and bought the item cheaper, although it obviously was not the same one they tried so might have performed differently.

All I can say is that:
1. Yes we are responsive if someone approaches us with a valid web comparison. Sometimes we will match the price. Sometimes I will just say "I don't want to win the race to the bottom", and send them on their way.
2. To distinguish ourselves from the web we offer a year guarantee on our products (repair or replace). The only way we can do that is to offer quality stuff, and pretty soon people figure out that we don't sell any crap, and we start to get a loyal following.
3. We present a lot of products that are not available on the web, or at the very least the name is different.
4. We remember our loyal customers and do a lot of favors for them, like free adjustments, staying open late or opening on a normally closed day, or calling them when we find something special that they might like. In fact, more often than not we give them a little something (a discount or a freebie) to say thank you.
4. Conversely, we also remember the people who waste our time and buy elsewhere. They can fool us once, but the next time they come in we are liable to show them directly to the door.

So, there are two sides to this problem. You can develop a mutually beneficial relationship with a local mercant who knows your name, pays attention to your needs and works with you, or you can alienate them and they will avoid helping you in the future. Your choice.

Good luck getting help with your problems on the web. Good luck even getting the name of a real person that is willing to help you. Not the kind of world I would wish for.