Yeah, for me, I'd just rather test it out ahead of time so that I already know exactly what I want to get (and what doesn't work for me). I wouldn't mind not being able to purchase it right then. It would also let me know if it's worth it to battle the lines and get there early. It would suck to wait outside the store for the launch only to find out that the color you thought you wanted doesn't work for your skin tone, or that you don't like the consistency, etc. There's no harm in letting people test items out ahead of time. On a super popular launch, there's no time to test the item out in the store....by the time you get done trying something on it's sold out! It was definitely like that for the fashion sets.
For me, personally, I will just be going in the store soley to try the items on/swatch and ordering online. I'm hoping they don't take the display down once the items are sold out. Usually they leave the stuff out there.