B&H has been around for 20+ years. They are often the first place I look for TVs and home theater components. I bought my last two big screen TVs from them as they had the best prices.
Yes, but like I said, I don't have Prime and still often get next day and Sunday delivery too. And that is because (1) they have a fulfillment center 170 miles away and (2) keeping merchandise in inventory costs money. So in the long run, it is cheaper (read: more profitable) to get it out of the warehouse and out of their delivery channels as fast as possible.
I think the bigger advantage for Prime members (besides streaming and other services) is free shipping. But I almost always get that anyway because I usually am spending more than $25, thus qualifying for free shipping.
"Most" hardware gurus? 
That may be true. But maybe not. Care must be taken when trying to speak for the majority of any demographic. Some times it is easy to forget our personal world of existence (family, friends, colleagues and experiences) is just a tiny little bubble in the big picture of the entire universe. We may be able to speak for those inside our own personal bubbles but not for "most" in the entire industry (or country).
Long before Newegg and Amazon, I was buying from MWave, Googlegear (later ZipZoomFly after Google sued them) and TigerDirect. And before that, by something you youngin's may never have heard of, "mail order" through Computer Shopper magazines and Popular Electronics.
I personally have never shopped at MicroCenter or Fry's because there are none in this area. But again, I know many "hardware gurus" who have, and still do.
And while I have always liked Newegg, and I know "many" hardware gurus and other enthusiasts who like and buy from Newegg too. But I would never call them the "gold standard", nor do I believe "most" would either.
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Back to your opening statement concerning shipping woes during this pandemic. Yes, it has gotten bad. Really bad. And not wanting to turn this into a political debate, but, at least in the US, the Postmaster General removing 100s of mail sorting machines didn't help. That forced the postal service to dedicate more USPS employees to sorting letters rather than processing packages.
But yes, the pandemic affects FedEx, DHL and UPS too - not to mention the regional delivery services, as well as the retailers' employees. So delays have incurred and are to be expected for some time to come. I have a couple kids and grandkids who live in Kansas City. And in the past, birthday cards, for example, would take 2 days, 3 at most to get there. It took 13 days for my granddaughter's card to get to her last month! I can see an extra day or two due to COVID. But 13 days to go 170 miles! That's ridiculous!
I personally think COVID is too often being used as an excuse everywhere to explain incomitance. But perhaps that's for a different discussion.
