Hi All.
Wanted to chime in a little bit for the Chicagoland area in the US.
KB TOYS have always been good to me. You have to be patient, but when their stuff drops in price, it is usually pretty good.
TRU and TARGET are ok; nothing exciting to say about those two.
WALMART has never been really good to me, at least not in this area.
LEGO stores are good though, since there are 3 in the area, that makes it kinda nice! Also, I know for a fact that some of the PAB walls are getting restocked with newer stuff. Transperent 1x1 cones, staircases, spruce trees, and all sorts of new stuff, so check them out. Most employees are pretty friendly and accommodating to customers' needs. Plus they have the Loyalty cards which are useful if you are buying a lot of merchandise!