Last week I went to Dicks Sporing Goods to look at the Bushnell Trophy XLT 3-9x40 for a friend, if I liked it I would pick one up for myself ($119 plus $30 rebate), when I got there the scope was in a clear hard plastic container, I looked thru the scope and for me I didn't like it the glass was nice but the crosshairs where not bold enough, it was a plex. A few days later I was at Cabela's and looked thru the scope once more, this time the glass was better & the crosshairs much more defined, I purchased two of them one for my friend and me, the scope came in a typical scope box, and it was $10 less.

My question is: does the package the scope is packed in mean anything? I would think a clear hard plastic container would be a cheaper scope

You can adjust the focus of the crosshairs on the scope using the eyepiece and locking ring. I have come across several scopes that were not focused correctly at the factory in the past.

I know major, I did just that at Dicks but still the scope wasn't clear

In this case I would contact the customer support dept at Bushnell and pose the question to them.