My opinion, and my opinion only. (Also, bear in mind I haven't read the entire thread.)
If at all possible, it is always best to go with a breeder whose focus for their animals is to improve their health and breed for well balanced temperaments, as well as the fact that they've typically handled their animals so they are tame.
Rescuing either from a shelter, rescue, or private rehome is never a bad thing. That's how I've obtained a lot of my personal animals.
But I have no issues whatsoever if someone wants to purchase a pocket pet from a pet store IF that pet store provides the proper environment for those animals and the animals aren't ill/sick/genetically doomed from the start. I am very happy with all of our local pet stores (two small feed type stores, one Petsmart). I don't think we have a single store in our area that sells puppies/kittens due to the ones that were in operation being driven under. The three stores we have that sell pocket pets all take fantastic care them of. Good sized, stimulating enclosures, very clean, proper diet, and the animals look healthy and well cared for. Although the gerbil we purchased from Petsmart was evil, I purchased Pikachu (my old dwarf hamster) from Petsmart and Cid was a Petsmart purchase as well (although I got him from a private rehome) and they were healthy and very well mannered from day one and they all passed away from old age. Choco and Bees are also from Petsmart and they're doing just great, as well as being very well mannered. When my breeder bought mice were their age, one had already passed away and the other was starting to be full of tumors (and I couldn't handle either one of the mice).
Casey and Dameon were both pet store purchases. Casey lived to five years old and passed away due to cancer, Dameon is currently six and has cancer. Rinnie and Ruben were rescues (originally pet store purchases) and Ruben passed away at four due to a tumor on his spine, while Rinnie, who is now roughly four, likely has cancer. All have equally good temperaments, although Dameon and Casey were much more reliable with the litterbox because I had them as kits and trained them properly (and the pet store I adopted them from started them on litterboxes).
I have no problem purchasing a Marshall Farm ferret. I do have a problem supporting pet stores that don't care for their animals. And in the case of ferrets, there are typically a TON in rescue due to the fact that people impulse buy them as kits and then don't realize how high maintenance they are, and I think you are better off adopting a private rehome or from a rescue than spending $200 for a kit at a petstore.
but I sat on a bench outside the store and for the 20 minutes I sat there, they did nothing 
