Wow,
As much as I am into supporting the local hobby stores, that guy does not deserve to be in business with that attitude. I would let some things pass, but not the fact that he lies to you like that! I know some larger stores (I work for one part time) will not carry some of the smaller manufacturers kits because they are not available through the big hobby distributors (Horizon and Great Planes). Also alot of the smaller guys need to get out of the dark ages on their packaging if they want to sell to retail stores. A line drawing or a simple computer generated picture will not do. As I recall Jim Flis is doing a good job with his packaging. Only experienced rocketeers know to look beyond the packaging and we only make up a tiny amount of the rocket sales. The folks on these forums, the NAR, Tripoli and such make up about 1-2% of the people who buy model rockets. This is why Estes does not carry as many of the kits that us, as dedicated hobbyists, would like to see. I am happy to see the Outlander and the Renegade, in actuality hobby stores and in turn the major rocket manufacturers make the most sales and profit off of the $5-$8 rockets with the flashy full color packaging. I think the Estes/Star Wars Episode 1 disaster humbled them a bit and made them cater to us hobbyists a little more.