Secondary, or not?

[Nashbrew]

My Homebrew Supply Store here said not to use a secondary, that it really does not do anything and you take the risk of contamination when transferring. Just transfer from primary into bottling bucket and bottle.
I am new at this all, but what i have read says that a secondary will help clarify the beer, have less sediment in it, and will help it taste better too. All advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks. You guys have been great!

 

[El Pistolero]

My Homebrew Supply Store here said not to use a secondary, that it really does not do anything

Apparently those people don't brew...use a secondary if you can. Here's an interesting read on the benefits of secondary fermentation.

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

I think it depends on how involved you want to get. I imagine an HBS may not want to scare a new customer off with extra equipment/expense/time, and the risk of contamination is very real, particularly for someone who hasn't run through the process a few times. It's probably not a bad idea to try it the HBS's way for a couple of batches. If you transfer from primary to bottling bucket carefully you will also leave most of the sediment behind.

Having said that, a secondary will allow more sediment to drop out and will allow a beer's flavors to mature and homogenize (for lack of a better word) much like a soup does in the fridge, and if you're sanitation procedures are good the risk of contamination should be minimal. You also have to wait longer to try your beer