LBS vs Online stores

But my point is that I do try to use my LBS from time to time, but, despite them being nice and seemingly knowledgeable, I often feel let down or surprised at quite how expensive they are.

That is simply because you are out of touch with the cost of running a business. Products have got cheaper over the years as they are no longer made in UK which is skewing what things actually cost when you have to use a business in the UK.