You know, over the years I've managed to get lousy customer service in most every store, big and small. Most often it's not the store but a specific person. Having worked for both BB and CC, many of the comments I see above are directed at the BB and CC "messengers" of the facts. "Yes, the item in question went on sale 3 days ago in limited quantity and yes, we are currently out of stock. No, we do not do rainchecks but we do special orders and ship directs. No, we do not know what is on the truck except for larger items and those only the day before the truck arrives."
What many people do not realize is that the overworked, underpaid folks at the larger stores tend to be attitude mirrors, they reflect back what they get. If you walk in with a chip on your shoulder expecting bad service and act like a total jerk then regardless of the associate's training and diplomacy you may get treated like one.