I prefer to do it. If anything for peace of mind and like you said... to have a baseline.
We have a low cost clinic near my dads house on the Eastern Shore that I like a lot. I used to take Jackson there for basic things like rabies vaccine, other vaccines, etc, and wouldn't hesitate to go back for bloodwork if needed. To be honest he was neutered there before I knew "better" and all was good as well.
They absolutely have their place and no judgment from me. I'd rather people be going to a low cost place than NO vet at all, too, ya know? But bloodwork/vaccines/etc aren't too complicated and I have no issue with going to one for that kind of stuff.