This is bs. It just depends on the store you go to. I'm in Columbia, SC. The Radioshack near my Job tried this on me when I went to get a phone for my wife in 2009. (Think it was the Rumor 2) I then told them where they could go and went to the Radio Shack down the street in the mall and they sold me the phone with no hassle. I would not have cared about buying minutes from them, but she already had an account with Auto Top Up and did not need any extra minutes. All I needed was the phone.
That's why you just buy it online and then there's no one to harass you but their e-commerce website itself

so now im a proud new owner of the Evo V