certin speaker makers harder to get dissounts fro

Discounting is a disease. I dont know where you guys get the idea that there is 50% mark up.
All you guys need to go to accounting school if you seriously believe in this crap.
A typical senerio.

A store in Los Angeles Ca.
3000 sq ft. rent 5000.00
Electrical & other expences 1000.00
Salary to a sales person 3500.00
Misc expences & bank payments 1500.00
Insurances & other expences 5000.00 { accountant, Computer lease, Software payments, Corporate taxes, Theft insurance, & many others }

10,000.00 is spent before making a penny.

If the person sells 100,000.00 in audio he makes 32% in gross profit.
32000.00
His expences are 15,000.
Store owners salary is 5000
the rest is invested in purchasing newer product.

He makes 7000.00if he's lucky & had a perfect month.....

We have not added gas expences & return freight charges on equipment that has to go back because it failed or you guys brought back...

Do you guys still want discounts or are you going to pay full price ?

Fiddler,

Well, technically marijuana is not illegal. You simply have to have the appropriate stamp from the government in order to posses it legally. THe thing is that there are no such stamps in existance therefore... marijuana is illegal.

Semantics.

Some manufacturers protect the dealers that Smer319 speaks of. These dealers do have to turn a profit to stay in business. They are also protecting their products "good name" if you will by discouraging discounting.

Bignerd100,

It is not semantics. Price-fixing is illegal anyway you cut it. Do a little research.

And BTW, Federal Law says marijuana is illegal, period.

It is not price fixing. They are not controlling what ALL speakers sell for, just thiers. It is called protecting your products value and protecting dealers in your network. If you want to be a ML dealer you are limited to the amount of discount you can give period. Lots of other brands do this as well, if it was illegal they would have been busted long ago.

Fiddler, They are not colluding with other manufacturers to fix prices; they are establishing what their dealers can charge. Two completely different things. If they want to be a dealer for that product they agree not to discount. A very common practice in many high end products, not just audio. And yes, if I did buy retail I would want a discount.