I had an experience today which demonstrated just how non-competive some our local merchants are.
I found I had a non-repairable tire with a nail in the sidewall. A major tire store on 441 quoted a price of $364.76 for a replacement tire. (It was an expensive Michelin tire.) Actually, their initial quote was well over $400 and they came down to their "best price" when I questioned it.
I knew I had paid far less "up north", so I called my regular tire dealer--TireRack.com in South Bend, IN. In minutes I placed an order for the Michelin tire I needed. For a price of $258.90, the tire will be delivered to my house via UPS in three days. The local tire dealer's role will be reduced to mounting and balancing the tire on my car. Price paid to the local tire dealer will be $19.25. Savings to me--over $100!
I strongly recommend TireRack.com Visit them at
http://www.tirerack.com/ and navigate to the tires you need. You won't find cheaper prices or better service and they'll ship your tires same day. All you'll need to do is find any one of dozens of shops that will mount and balance the tires.
It's nice to avoid being taken advantage of at times.