I do understand where the OP is comming from, as I have been there myself. It does pay to shop areound...mamma said, ya better shop around....heh.
As far as G&L, wow!! The Mrs. wanted to buy me a brand new pistol for my B-day, 12/24, but we waited until 12/10 or so to order it. Daniel, yeah...^^^^ him, is who I dealt with. They were not able to get the exact gun, a blued P90, but he did find me a stainless. He knew it was for my birthday, and he new my wife didn't want to wait untill after my birthday for me to receive my gift. What he did do:
1) He listened to my wife's request (as do most of the G&L folks).
2) He made no "promises" other than to say he would let me know in 7-10 days.
3) He delivered in a timely manner that which I had requested, well close enough for me.
This is why I will shop exclusively at G&L. They are not the closest to my home, but they are worth the 20 minute drive. I hear very much the same things about Hero Gear, and iffin I lived down that way, you could replace all my "G&L" with "Hero Gear".