Just to be clear:
A "street date" is the earliest date that you're allowed to get the books in the hands of your customers.
It is not the earliest date you can start shipping orders. As long as those orders don't arrive before the street date, everything is cool.
For example: The PHB has a street date of 7/16. If Amazon ships you your book on 7/10 (knowing that it won't arrive until 7/16) then it has not broken street date.
The distributor probably wouldn't ship to Talon because Talon is both a physical store and a web store. If Talon got books before the street date, then he could sell to his physical customers before the street date. Not that he would (Derek is a good guy), but the distributor has no control over that.
The .coms routinely get music, videos, games, and books before the street date because shipping times ensure that customers won't get product before the street date--even if the .coms ship "early"*.
Just wanted to clear that up.
-z
*Of course, accidents happen and sometimes a customer will get something a little early, or a little late. That's the uncertain nature of shipping physical goods across the country/world.
PS: "release date" and "street date" are two seperate terms, with different meanings.