Secret Shopper: Best & Worst Notebook Retailers

Chances are the next laptop you buy will be from an online store. And why not? The selection is huge, the prices are typically cheaper, and the spec descriptions are scrupulously detailed. In fact, according to a Forrester research report, a whopping 83 percent of consumers said they preferred shopping online over heading to a brick-and-mortar store last holiday season. Still, according to NPD's Consumer Tracking Service, 67 percent of consumer PC purchases were made at brick-and-mortar retail stores in 2010--and with good reason. You owe it to yourself to physically check out an array of notebooks in person to get an idea of your potential laptop's weight and design. Also, you should test out the keyboard, touchpad, and speaker quality, something you can't do online.

Because it's important to try out--or at least see--a laptop before you buy, you'll want to find a nearby retailer that will let you test drive your potential purchase. You'll also want to find a store with helpful salespeople who can answer technical questions.

To find the best destination for checking out notebooks, LAPTOP conducted undercover shopping trips to the largest national chains. Here's what we found.