Josh,
Welcome to the boards.
It's been mentioned, but I think the real point of contention here is the announcement of Berrics mailorder. As you said, mailorder has existed for years now; however you also mentioned the Berrics gets six million hits a month. Never has there been a mailorder company in skateboarding that can boast of figures like that. The Berrics has such a strong following amongst kids that I believe many of them would be more loyal to the website than to their local shop, even if they are listed. I feel that (legit) skateshops are the heart and soul of our 'culture' and as such it is every skater's responsibility to do what they can to support their local one. These days, with so many shops struggling to keep their doors open, can you honestly say you are comfortable with people choosing to order their product through the Berrics, rather than heading down to their local (which most likely needs every bit of business it can get)?