Can you afford the shop's prices though? They'll charge for both the part and the labor, and they'll REALLY screw you over on the latter. If you don't mind getting your hands dirty you can save a few hundred bucks easy by doing the job yourself.
1) We've been doing a fair number of repairs on my car recently, so a fair bit of it (engine, transmission, etc.) is under some form of warranty or other. With any luck the shop should at least be able to identify what is wrong so we can get it taken to the right place for the warranty.
2) I know literally nothing about the realities of cars. (Theory, and mechanics behind them? Tons. Actually physical form? Nada.) Nor do I know anyone who will be available anytime soon to come and help.
3) I really can't afford to be carless for these next few days. Places to go and important things to do and all that, and if that means having to pay some to be able to do that than that's that.
If anything the car is probably due for a new alternator soon anyways, and this way will at least ensure if something does go horribly wrong sometime soon it's under some form of coverage to get it fixed.
The reviews from the shop are all really good, so hopefully it shouldn't be too bad price wise, and if it had happened at any other time I probably would have been able to call in a friend from farther away to help or install one myself; but at this time it's more of just a grit your teeth and bear it thing. (Not counting the fact that it's totally possible that there could be a deeper problem that is causing this; the car is like 25 years old with a few hundred thousand miles on it.) It sucks, and it's really annoying, but that's why I posted it in this thread after all.