Yeah, this is a US issue. If you go to Tokyo or Taipei, you will find physical stores in cities with many different kind of mechanical keyboards.
Central EU here. We order a bunch of switches. A "starter pack" of sorts. We try them and then choose the favourite.
Physical shops rarely stock keyboards with removable switches.
Definitely a some-areas-issue.
i live in the largest city on the west coast of the USA and the only stores i've found where i can press keyboards is Office Depot and the like, and at least in the stores that i have visited, they have not had mechanicals.
even when Frys was around, i don't remember them having keyboards out and about.
Frys predated the "mainstream" mechanical keyboard boom. If they were still around I'm sure they'd have even more (they were always larger stores).
The Fry’s that shut down was a shell of its former shelf.
If you’re in LA, Microcenter has mechanical keyboards.
They also have a whole rotating robotic wall of 3D filament that works like a physical jukebox.
My solution is to buy a mech keyboard from some well respected vendor and try it out. I return the vast majority.
yeah, that's what'd I want!
Note that in the area are quite a few other good shops. Tsukumo has various hardware across many floors and also keyboards, in b1 they also have a razer store. Then there is a shop across the street Galleria or something, more targeting esports, if you are into that.
That being said, the shop is located in a surprisingly quiet area, surrounded by other small enthusiast shops. I especially liked "High Beam" a few stores down, which specialises in handheld PCs.