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WRT returns a few folk (sportpursuit springs to mind) let you generate a QR code that you take to the Post Office for them to print the label. I think wiggle do something similar with ASDA as the label printers. Works well and reduces the number of labels going to landfill.
Luckily I have a great LBS that I've used for a long time so the majority of my bike spend is with them. I do occasionally order stuff online if I can't get to them or if it's something that they don't deal with, occasionally it'll be because the price is just too good! I made the decision about 2 years ago to avoid relying on online orders as a default and on the whole it's saved me money as it cuts down on the frivolous purchases. I may have been able to save a decent amount on the stuff that I have bought from the LBS but it's more than made up by when they've helped me out of a hole just before a trip and dealt with the insurance claim after I was doored.
Non-bike stuff I order online a lot more but the amount of times I've had failed deliveries or the wrong items sent means I rarely rely on it, even Amazon Prime deliveries are a ballache to their lockers as they always seem to be full or can't accept what I'm ordering!!
Giving up on mail order? Uh. No. Very unlikely.
Sure, you have to wait a bit and it can sometimes go wrong, and there is a bit more hassle with returns but that's the bit you have to accept to benefit from much better prices, vastly wider choice and availability and convenience.
The alternative is having to wait for the weekend because of my working hours, and waste a minimum of 30 minutes travel time, plus whatever time it takes to deal with: a) undoubtedly skilled cool kids living the bike shop dream who are nearly too important in their own bubble to actually attend to customers, b) explain your needs to someone who clearly knows less about bikes and indeed, how to work a brain than I do, only to find it's not in stock, but they can get it in, taking longer than it would via mail order and for more money.
I've lost count of the number of times and hours I've wasted travelling to local bikeshops only to be greeted with blank stares or not in stock answers. It's a hard lesson in self sufficiency, but LBS's in my area have made me default to mail order and hold spares in advance for common consumables.
Matt, try Keith at Mugdock Cycles, its a wee bit further that ccb but very mtb focussed, santa cruz dealer and has loads stock if craig and dr bike are all booked up.
Only issue I have with online is the wasteful packaging....
Here’s the box I got from my last online order (from seemingly the only shop in Europe to have what I needed)
Guess what it was? Nope, a pair of rims(reason for the scarcity is that I need a 27.5 rim with 36 holes, that doesn’t weigh as much as the moon)