Honestly, if it were feasable, I'd build my own laptop, same as I bought the parts and built my desktop. But laptops don't work that way. So I've based my decisions on the components used combined with my planned uses combined with price.
I haven't paid much attention the past couple of years, but unless it has changed, my experience is that QVC does often offer older technology at premium prices. And the "bonuses" that are used to raise the "value" are only of value if they are something you want enough to pay for. Sometimes the "free software" includes apps that you could download and install yourself for free. Sometimes it's simply not something I would use.
As far as buying locally vs online, I won't argue that supporting the local economy is great. You may well be able to simply take it home with you and the return process may be quicker. But if you're shopping in a "big box" store, the knowledge of the sales people is going to be all over the place. Some do know quite a bit. Others are clueless, other than possibly having an interest in electronics. And don't forget, their goal is still to sell product, likely even specific models. It's all too easy (when selling any product, not just electronics) to emphasize what the purchaser indicates is important to them, and avoid or minimize mention of weaker specs of the product.