"Most modern shops now days will see fresh meat coming in the door. Their objective being, sell a new bike, or at least, true wheels and replace tires, tubes, cables and on and on."
This is simply not true for most bike shops in most markets. It may be the person's individual experience, however it is certainly an over-statement. Most shops are overly helpful and throw good-will at customers, especially noobs who have started on the process of learning to maintain their own bike. I know from first hand experience this to be the case as I have worked in half a dozen shops over the past 40 years and every one of them, with the exception of one, did more for the customer than they were obligated to do. It is one of the many reasons why the retail bike industry has a long history of sub-par wages.