cameras

There was what seemed a good price on a couple of Kodak digital cameras this week at Office Depot. The Z612 and the Z710. When I chhecked the specs, they include references to macro capabilities, but the little booklet that comes with it doesn't mention it. The employee and I both tried unsuccessfully to focus in what we thought might be the macro setting, but the camera focuses only after you take the shot; while composing your shot it's all just a blur.
Yes, I realize I should go to a real camera shop(RCS), but I will have to pay substantially more. I will not go to the RCS for their knowledge and expertise only to turn around and buy it at a cheap place; this is not fair.
How do you try out a camera in a store with no knowledgeable assistance, no decent manual? I'm sure I can figure the rest out over time, but I have to know before I buy whether I can take a good close up shot of a small bug on a flower. I want good depth of field - can you get that with a digital in macro mode? Am I wrong to expect SLR capabilities from a digital camera? 

Any suggestions would be appreciated.  Thanks.

Kitty
neIN, Zone 5 
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