I'm in the USA, yes. I thought most places had a restocking fee for electronics - like you pay them $15 if you return an opened camera, and so if you wanted to do it a bunch of times to get the right firmware it wouldn't be worth it. Maybe if I explain the exact issue, they'd be willing to open one for me in the store to check right there - but I'm guessing that's not their policy. If they let me do that, I could bring a card with ver.req on it. I don't love the idea of buying the floor model unless I get a steep discount - who knows what's been done to it.
"If the camera has already been ported, then being able to switch firmware versions is 100% likely."
Sorry, but what exactly does that mean? On the list of supported cameras it says SD200 firmware 1.00d but not 1.00a, for example. Does that mean the 1.00a has not been ported? Or does the fact that the SD200 is there at all mean it has been ported and thus switching firmware versions should be fine?
I did successfully install the chdk on my SD1100 a few years ago, and I remember it took some trouble to get it right (partly because I was doing it on a mac and most of the instructions were for PCs) but I did get it to work. However in that case my firmware version was listed, and I'm not sure how much more complicated it would be if its not.
(I may actually hold out awhile longer to see what new cameras get supported - I covet that 14x zoom, but not without the CHDK - I'm having a lot of fun with the MD script to catch lightning on my current camera, but its zoom, megapixels, and angle of view are all pretty low compared to the new cameras.)