Quote:
Originally Posted by Kali Yuga
In the US, setting different prices for different retailers on any basis other than volume would almost certainly be a violation of the Robinson-Patman Act.
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Maybe it is illegal, but I have heard of advertising allowances, and subsidies for preferential shelf placement, in deals between supermarkets and suppliers. If the publishers do what Mike Shatzkin tells them to do at his conventions, without otherwise conspiring, they might get away with similar-to-supermarket tactics.
Amazon's PR people might hesitate before going after suppliers for giving mom and pa shops a special deal. Or maybe Amazon would sue anyway. Every approach has risks.