Jeekinz, I share many of your problems.
Generally find you get better meat at the higher end, more tony stores. In our area, No VA we have Wegman's, a smaller chain called Harris Teeter, and Whole Foods where we can usually get the thicker cuts.
But they are a bit more pricey.
However we also have more mainstream, I guess that term is OK, supermarkets (Giant, Safeway, Bloom's) and find if you go and talk to the butcher they can sometimes help you out.
As far as shrimp, yeah, we are only forty miles or so from the Chesapeake and not too much further from the Ocean and we also get tasteless shrimp. We both grew up loving shrimp but rarely buy them anymore.
Same thing with scallops.
As for fish, well, one of us doesn't eat fish, rats, so rarely purchase it. But the stuff in the case looks lousy and often perks up the olfactory nerve. Grew up in NYC where there were fresh fish places all over and the fiddies in our stores do not impress me as having been close to salt water for quite a while. Even in the tonier places.
Wish I had an answer for you.
Happy New Year and good luck.