you live in the states i guess?

i haven't bought in the last 10 years a phone from my carrier... Why would i do that then i get a carrier abused phone.

And around me nobody does that, friends , co workers you name it. Almost all do it on line in shops like gsmweb.nl
If you want a cheap phone i would do it in a shop but then more something like the phonehouse or belcompany not one from a carrier.
But high end phones? always on line.