Shoplifting? Unethical?

Good grief. People have been going to stores that offer better pre-sale service, then buying from stores that offer better prices for a very long time. There is nothing wrong with that. Indeed, it is an opportunity for those stores to demonstrate how they can offer better service after the product has been purchased. If the customer doesn't think that post-sale service is relevant to them, well, the store should take the perspective of nothing ventured-nothing gained.

I also suspect that brick and mortar stores are over valuing what they have to offer, and are overestimating the amount of showrooming that goes on. The value of information found online is often far greater than what you can get by looking at products. For something like books, you can only review passages. For other products, demo units are frequently limited in terms of functionality. Reviews, when examined critically, can tell the consumer a lot more. Sample chapters give you both the opportunity and an environment free of pressure to consider a product. Datasheets often give concrete details that demo units and salespeople can't. Then there is the whole time aspect.