There is a regional chain in my area called Scheel's. They make Dick's look like a dump. They hire young kids but they are trained to seek out customers smile, and actually talk to them. Dick's must train their employees to hide from customers and say "Hunh? I dunno" if a customer manages to corner them and they have to speak.
It's gotta be tough to be in retail and have to stock millions of dollars in product that can only be sold for full retail price. There has to be a value added to make people want to go in and pay more.
We LOVE Scheels!!! We go there whenever we travel south for a tournament. About 4 hours away from home...