The point I am trying to make is that you don't need to buy a bike at a particular shop to build a relationship with that shop. The LBS I used before I had my own in-house wrench was not the shop where I got the bike. It's the shop where I got a fitting. Because they didn't turn their nose up my bike because I didn't purchase it there, they ultimately got a fair amount of business from me, including my next bike and all its parts.

While I do think there's a benefit to trying a bike out before buying it, if your friend feels comfortable buying online, I don't think it's the end of the world. He can take it into the shop and they will presumably be more than happy--if they have any sense--to take $200-300 from him to build it up. That's where they make a lot of their profit anyway. From there, he can build a relationship with them.

And Catrin, the comment "unless you live at the top of a mountain, why get a compact in the first place" refers to getting a standard double, not to a triple, as the alternative. At least that's what I presume they mean.