I agree that retail distribution for Transformers is pretty bad (I work in retail auto parts, so my preference to support brick and mortar is more on principle as a solidarity thing), and I have a Pile of Loot at BBTS for the "must-haves", so it's not like I don't buy online at all, I just prefer to make most of my purchases in-person; beyond the reasons already stated, I do like the thrill of the hunt, and there are a lot of figures I want to see in-person before I pull the trigger on them.
That said, I have probably been unnaturally lucky: the last wave of figures I never saw in retail was the Devcon/Axlegrease deluxes. Before that was way back in Earthrise, the Sunstreaker/Trailbreaker wave (and the Runabout Target exclusive). I found Netflix Bumblebee and Soundwave, Velocitron Cosmos and Crasher, and Toxitron Sideswipe, all in stores, at least twice. It probably helps that my wife regularly travels to Ohio to visit her family, and is willing to check Transformers when she stops at stores along the way, on top of having several Walmarts and Targets within a 60-mile radius that we fairly regularly visit on family excursions (we're more Journey people than Destination people). Even then, I come away empty-handed more often than not.
So, yeah, for most people, I can see the appeal, and even need, to rely on online sources for Transformers, the retail stores just aren't that reliable and consistent a source most times. And yet, it seems like the retail sales numbers are what determines what Hasbro's product offerings are. So, it's definitely a conundrum.