Originally posted by Winder Pentax does don't dictate what they sell for, only what they advertise.
I don't believe that's correct.
Prior to the MAP debacle, Adorama and B&H had a price they advertised with but by clicking a button (or putting the item in the cart) you could see the true (much lower) retail price.
The current MSRP policy is much stricter than the above. I believe that the current "phone in and get a better price" situation is semi-tolerated and won't be sustainable in the future.
Originally posted by Winder By raising the MAP the Pentax line becomes more appealing to brick and mortar stores who can not compete with on-line retailers.
That was the plan but all Pentaxians got in return for paying double for their DA* lenses was the fact that Target sold Pentax P&S cameras.
Where are all the Pentax DSLRs in brick and mortar stores?
Given the shoddy implementation of MSRP so far (prices keep going up and down, increase with rebates, low prices still available by phoning in, etc.) I don't see how any brick and mortar store has an incentive to carry expensive Pentax gear.
I'm not a business person but it seems obvious that Pentax USA currently gets the worst of both worlds: No brick and mortar shop presence and highly inflated online prices.
I guess that Pentax USA has to get creative in order to create incentives for brick and mortar stores (e.g., generous acquisition/storage/return policies and/or subsidised pricing for brick and mortar shop sales). One thing that seems clear is that trying to declare Pentax as a premium price brand overnight with super inflated online prices is a strategy that is bound to fail.