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Forum: Ask B&H Photo!
10-15-2012, 06:11 AM
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There are two issues. The first is unilateral pricing. I addressed that earlier. The second, and older, is MAP = Minimum Advertized Prices. That sets the lowest price a retailer can advertize and for many advertizing venues also limits HOW the retailer can convey a lower selling price if one is available. Each brand, Pentax, Nikon, etc., has their own rules for how and when the "real" price can be revealed.
We know this is inconvenient and annoying. FWIW it is for us too. We try to make it as straightforward as we can but adhering to the rules is not optional.
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Forum: Ask B&H Photo!
10-12-2012, 07:51 AM
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Seriously? They have no particular reason to listen to us on this topic, especially since Sony USA, Nikon USA, LG, Panasonic, Samsung, Bose, Apple, Coach and others have all successfully adopted unilateral price programs.
Arguments for such programs include allowing large and small retailers to compete on service and value rather than prices and discounts and deter “showrooming,” the now-common practice of going into a store to “touch and feel” items only to turn around and buy them online at lower prices. IMO this also rescues brands which want to be associated with high-end cachet from those whose primary reputation is built on a cheap price. If Montblanc pens could be purchased for $25.00, no one would look at one twice.
My PERSONAL opinion is this is all done at the retail consumer's expense because unilateral price programs prevent us from offering a lower price when we'd otherwise be willing and able to do so. When we could offer lower prices we never compromised our integrity to do so and never allowed a lower price to influence our service.
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