It's important to remember that you're actually paying for more than brakes and labor at a dealership. It's not just some rip-off.
1: You're fostering a relationship with a full service facility that manages your factory warranty and has replacement vehicles on call. You can have a loaner that doesn't suck, and even use that chance to try out a different model for a few days. As well, almost any problem you bring in can be sorted one way or another.
2: It's generally much easier to engage a follow-up visit and correction if something goes wrong, in relation to an independent shop. They're repairing the vehicle with someone else's money, in the end; and that means their parts outlay is going to more closely match the actual cost, even if it seems a little inflated at first. If you have to bring it back, it doesn't matter; because the repair process has already been approved, and if it gets too complicated, they have the ability to simply trade you for another car; not always the willingness, but the ability.
3: They do have much easier and more timely access to various small parts that may be impossible to find otherwise; parts that may well break during the process. Many shops will let that stuff go, but a dealership has such easy access it's going to be replaced unless they just plain suck and have a penny-pinching parts division; but that's unlikely, as it's in their best interest to get it done right. They may well end up buying that car someday.
4: There aren't a whole hell of a lot of "opinions" and "enthusiast wisdom" that isn't always wise. They have to put it back together as Volkswagen intended, unless they have brand partnerships with aftermarket manufacturers and a modification specialist. Always remember that most people have no idea what they're talking about, no matter how clever they sound or where they trained. These guys use an instruction manual written for factory technicians and assemblers. Even if they're idiots, so long as they can follow a manual, the repair should be sufficient.
5: They are privy and readily exposed to all the latest service bulletins, and will generally automatically perform these services without a special trip being made if time is available.
6: Yes, you can bring in your own parts in many events. They don't like it, for obvious reasons; but it's not strictly monetary. They've seen a lot of things fail over the years, and it's more accurate information than you'll find in other places. Again, even if they're idiots, they'll have seen plenty of failures of modifications, and have a slightly better idea of what will hold up on that platform in daily use than average; but there's a slight drawback... Everyone has heard that guy who says "I used to work for Ford, and they suck". Well, the moron hasn't figured out that the reason every car that showed up was a Ford was the fact that it was a damned Ford dealership.
Don't listen to that guy. He was the shop clown nobody sat with on their lunch break.
7: That guy on the Chevy forum who says he's changed "all his rear diffs" in a certain way, or uses a certain tire because he didn't like the other options over time; or he's had "good luck" with X part over the years... Let's face it, he's changed a differential once (and he did it wrong), and used two different kinds of tires. He's only used that part he likes on a single car. Your dealership has done these things countless times. That guy is a sample size of idiot.
Now, is that stuff worth anything to you? Depends on who you are, and how you use the vehicle. For me, it's assurance, because I can't be dicking around sorting out little penny problems myself. If you're more active in regard to maintenance yourself, those benefits may not really matter; but always remember that one day, you're not going to want to turn your own wrenches (this eventually happens to EVERYONE on their daily drivers; don't think you're immune), and you might want a new car.
If you've got a good relationship with a dealership, you'll be treated a little better, and they can indeed sell you a car. In the end it'll be a wash, but still; there's something to that.
Always get them to demonstrate with a measuring tool. 
