Yea I actually did. I went to petco this weekend because its right next to my house, but they only had one pleco to choose from and it was all by itself and looked inactive/sick, so I didn't buy it. I got midterms and been busy all week, so in a few weeks after my quarter ends I'm going to stop by one of those stores you recommended.
I'm not sure if I'll get the blue phantom though, as you mentioned it cost you $65, which is kind of a lot to spend. I'm a rookie when it comes to fish tanks, and some of my fish have died, so I don't want to spend that much and have it die, you know what i mean? So I'll do some research in the meantime, and when I got it all down, I can spend more on my fish and not worry about them dying.