I discovered this game about a month ago. Picked up a copy of the base game online (as it appeared to be out-of-stock everywhere else) then picked up the character add-on, and adventures 2 & 3 from a local shop.
When I picked up the Add-on deck, and the 3rd adventure, he had promo cards lying around, and gave them to me. When I got the 2nd adventure, he didn't. (i'll get 4 & 5 in a few weeks, when I've caught up playing the existing stuff)
I see people posting on here about the subscription route, with the guarantee of getting all the promos - this sounded interesting as, aside from the fact that I came late to the party, I get the impression that it's pretty random as to what promos the shop guy gets sent by his supplier.
However, after a bit of research, I'm not going to go for the subscription route as a.) I live in the UK, and don't want to pay international shipping on the next bases set, and b.) I want to support the local game store - if it weren't for a conversation with him, I'd never have got into the game. Genuine enthusiasts who'll recommend a game, even when they know they can't get hold of a copy to sell to you are what keeps the hobby alive.
So what i'm wondering is - is there any way to subscribe to the game through a Friendly Local Gaming Store (supporting the hobby/community, keeping it local, avoiding international shipping costs), but with the fixed access to the Promos. I'm sure that I'm not the only person who'd be interested in this, and whilst the profit margins might not be as great in the short-term for Paizo if they sell through local shops, I'd hope they can see the long-term value of keeping them in the loop.
I don't think that is entirely possible. But I think, though I'm not totally sure, that each FLGS is supposed to get some of each promo from their distributor. I'd recommend talking to your FLGS and seeing if they always get the promos. If they do, ask them if you can pre-order from them in exchange for them holding a promo for you. I've seen other people say they always get it from their FLGS and their FLGS always holds a promo for them since they are a regular customer.
It is admirable you want to support your FLGS, but in the interest of full disclosure, there is another option with the subscription. You can subscribe and then, before the base set is sent, contact customer service and request that they only send you the character add-on deck for the first subscription shipment. You will still receive that month's promos. Then pick up a base set at your FLGS.
See this thread about that: http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qddl?Next-Adventure-Path-is-Skull-and-Shackles #44