It's been said before but I'll say it again. Smaller retailers, like some of the ones who support this forum, will give you better quality and more personal service. Most of the quality issues, in my opinion, are because the smaller ones don't pull from huge warehouses and inventories that don't keep the cigars as well. I get consistently better quality from smaller retailers and can't think of another reason why this may be the case.
The exception to that rule is with cigars that have been recently released. I think this may be because the cigars haven't been sitting anywhere very long yet.
It's also very nice to be able to call someone in the humidor, that smokes cigars, has a vested interest in your satisfaction, and can understand your needs to help you get exactly what you want.