If I need something asap, and they have it. That's the value.
The group of panicked customers who need an Ethernet cable RIGHT NOW is just not big enough.
So I got the same TV from costco for only slightly more but with costco warranty.
Getting help for a product (or navigating solving a problem with a category of products) is a fair point, getting help fro every product under the sun might also be a challenge with so many more consumer electronics out there where they may have just been a speciality product.
Some value for people that like to look at the product, have it in their hands, etc...the checking out part must be a local issue. As an opposite anecdote I have checked out at many Best Buy locations across the US and have never had a problem(even the shady ones). I actually love going to see some of the newer gadgets, but admittedly I have not made many big purchases there.
They also have a decent financing program(0% 24 months) that is great in these high interest rate times.
...I do love Microcenter though...and Fry's before it went out of business...now those places I could spend all day in.
I've resorted to buying online and returning good if I don't like them. Most returns are free and even the whole process is less effort than driving to the store, searching, and waiting in line, then driving home
To me this seems like their biggest problem, if they're just a showroom for Amazon then they're not actually making any money. The value of "buy it today" is not nearly as high as it used to be, and for bigger things delivery is probably preferred by most anyway.
When a I bought a really heavy plasma TV off Amazon a decade+ ago I felt it was a bit of a gamble as I was sure the return would be, at a minimum, a big headache. I'm not sure I'd have the same concern today.