Different price structures already exist between the small independently owned stores and the large chains & online outlets. The problem is it is backwards. What I mean is the large chains get special deals all the time from manufacturers as do some of the online dealers. From the manufacturers viewpoint, a sale to a chain that consists of many units is better than a small order from an independent dealer; fast money in other words, so they give the chain a better price based on a quantity order. And even if the online dealer paid than same for a product as a free standing store, their cost is really less because they have a fraction of the overhead of the free standing store. So this is the fault of the manufacturer. But also the fault of those big dealers. If they would stick to a fair retail price, then that wouldn't put the small dealers in such a bad place; at least they could compete by offering local service, training, etc. even though they aren't making the same profit. But instead the big stores turn around and sell a product for a minimal profit over their actual cost. There are times when these big stores can retail a product for less than what a small dealer actually has to pay for it from the manufacturer and that's crazy. Sorry for going on and on, but it has long been a problem with me when I see big business come into a market and destroy small independently owned stores. And then when I hear complaints similar to some in this thread and others, it just galls me because more times than not, those doing the complaining are contributing to the problem. "That statement is not directed at any one individual, so whoever gets mad about it, well, there you go."

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Wm. David McMahan
LearnMyKeyboard
JazzItUp Band
The Modulators