In Canada, I think it depends on the actual store. The Kobo eReader display is usually easy to find, but in some stores there are obviously some employees nearby, keeping an eye on the display (and ready to talk to customers) while in other stores, the employees do seem scared that they might be asked about the technology.
I don't know what kind of training employees get ... my guess is that it's minimal. Which is too bad - I think some confidence would help enormously. And anyone I know with an eReader *still* buys regular books - it expands our options, doesn't replace them. Book lovers are going to be justifiably apprehensive of something that is labelled as a "book killer"!
I suspect I'm a better salesperson (as an owner - often get asked questions if I use the eReader in public) than many of the Chapters/Indigo employees ...
