Tusker,
What you describe is typical of drug stores, supermarkets, Wally World, etc. -- a few rolls of 24-exposure Kodak BW400CN and that's it. On occasion I still see 24-exposure rolls of Kodak Tri-X in local stores, but it's fairly rare. To get non-Kodak B&W film or film in other speeds or types, it really is necessary to go to a
well-stocked local camera store or to buy online. Unlike Frank Szabo, I've had no problems with
B&H (aside from the fact that they won't take orders during Jewish holidays, which is occasionally an inconvenience).
Dead Link Removed is a bit less reliable than B&H, in my experience, but overall not bad, and they'll ship some things (mostly certain chemicals) that B&H refuses to ship. Both are located in New York City, which is good for me (and probably you, in Virginia), since ground shipping times are low. If I order in the morning, I can usually get product from B&H the next day. (Adorama is often a bit slower at getting products out the door.)
Freestyle is about as good as B&H, in my experience, but they're in California, so ground shipping times to me in Rhode Island are long. Freestyle's got a somewhat different inventory than B&H, so sometimes it's necessary to buy from one or the other.
As to BW400CN specifically, some people like it and others don't. I generally prefer Ilford XP2 Super for a C41-process B&W film, but that's personal preference. Kodak's film has an orange mask like other C41 films, which makes it easier to print on RA4 (color) paper but harder to print on conventional B&W papers. XP2 Super has a much fainter purple mask, which makes it easier to print on B&W paper and harder to print on color paper. Both products have fine grain compared to other ISO 400 B&W films.