Now I haven't visited many bike shops but the 5-6 I have visited have all been really positive experiences. As for the best, that would probably be the time when I needed new spokes. I went to (redacted) and picked up a few but at the time didn't think about whether the new spokes would work with the old nipples on my rim. The owner of the store did though, and threw in a few free-o-charge. 
  Well if it wasn't for that I'd have to wait 2 extra days to get them(I went just before they closed for the next two days). Two extra days where I would of missed the perfect chance to go to Sherman Branch for the first time and wouldn't be able to for 2 weeks after. Sure it was a small action but that doesn't mean it wasn't a minor one.

I guess the lesson here is to always check your nipples for compatibility
-Sam

I hate going to a new shop. Because I have to evaluate whether or not they'll ever touch my bike again. 

They don't like it. I don't like it.

The worst? I picked up a new bike I ordered from a shop that specialized in lower end BMX and neighborhood bikes. It was a small shop. I had to tell the mechanic how to assemble it.
The bike I bought was from a higher end brand they represented but obviously didn't sell many of.
I asked if he had a torque wrench, he told me he had the magic touch and didn't need one. 

It maybe good enough for little Johnny and the $200 rust bucket he gets for Christmas. But not good enough for me.

I will say that some shops are very beer friendly... and I appreciate that immensely... so some have that going for them even if they don't have what I want in stock at least I can get a free beer.

Honestly- all of my experiences local to Mooresville have been overwhelmingly positive. 
Cycle Path, Spirited Cyclist, Cool Breeze- seriously..all of them. 

I was walking past the spirited cyclist on a day off, they were closed and I need some grips or something.  Dude saw me, opened up and hooked me up.  When they were closed.  He was just catching up on some stuff.   
Cycle Path has fixed my junk while I waited like three times. Even when I said I could come back- including my wife's bike that hung for like 8 years.  Were insanely fair in prices. 
So just my .02 but so far, all have been great.  I can't say I had the same experience in VT when I was up there.  Some good, some bad.  Mostly bad at the DH parks, oddly.  Dunno why.  Annoyed to sell me parts, pissed off that I was not riding crazy high end crap? 

Totally different experience here. 

Like Chosen has said above, when I go into a shop I am normally looking for an item that I need. I always walk around and scope out the place, and normally bull&^&^ with the employees about whatever comes up if they aren't super busy. I like a shop that keeps common items in stock, with a decent selection. In other words they may not have the exact item I'm looking for, but have something comparable and can explain why it will work just as well for what it is. 

Me being a people person, I may look at it a bit differently too. If a guy will stand around on a busy day and talk to you for a minute about something you are needing/looking to buy, that says a lot to me. It builds a relationship, and is what has kept me going back to the shop that I frequent the most.

In another lifetime I worked for a short while in a shop in Aspen, CO. As you can imagine, the clientele there is pretty high end. The showroom was upstairs from the service area, and this grandmother brought in her grandson's low end bike to get fixed before he came to visit. The head mechanic took one look at it and told her point blank, "Get that @$^ing piece of @%it out of my store" She was taken aback and asked him to repeat it, and he said, "You heard me. Now go upstairs and buy your grandson a real bike" The amazing thing is that she did! I'll never forget it, and I quickly realized that Aspen was not a town for me.

I once drove 100 miles to warranty a Kona frame, rather than deal with the local shop. They even swapped the headset for me free of charge. I graciously gave multitudes of beer for thanks.

That said, now my local bike shop is downstairs. And that guy is an arse. Often tea bagging customer's bikes just for fun.

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And employing child labor
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