venusflyer,
When we bought our pool, the pool and spa depot in Cookeville did not exist yet, but I have been there to get pool parts a few times. I have butted heads a few times with the manager (he is a cool and knowledgeable guy from England) over the BBB way of life because they are a Baq dealer. I used to open and close a Baq pool in Cookeville for my mom's boss, but they have moved, and I wished I had all of the money they spent on that stuff because their pool was never real clear even though I dumped the sand out of the filter every year.
I'm not sure which model of pool we have. We didn't get the cheapest one but it wasn't most expensive either. It was in the mid-price range (around $3000) which included installation, and everything but the 7 tons of sand which we actually got from the concrete place in Smithville delivered (they were cheaper than our local concrete supply in carthage only 5 miles away).
There are people on this board who don't care for the stainless steel panels (like the ones that come with the Watsons pool) but I haven't had any problems with mine and I also like having 2 returns (so you can add a fountain and still have circulation too).
Either pool store you go with, I believe, will be fine. Watson's will probably be a little cheaper just from the shear volume they do. Pool and Spa have higher end pools but will try to sway you to Baq, but you know better than that!!
Good Luck with your decision and if I can help let me know,
Thanks
JD