Here in the UK we have a quaint version of this, otherwise known as MRRP - "Manufacturer's Recommended Retail Price" .............
Which gives retailers the opportunity to imply in adverts that they are doing you a good deal out of the kindness of their hearts, as opposed to the mean old manufacturers who are not as nice as wot they are .........
It doesn't necessarily mean there is any relationship between the MRRP and what they charged the retailer, or that what they say has any effect whatever on what the retailer will/can do, as the manufacturer cannot fix/set/enforce any selling price .
However, there have been a few [prob quite a large few, actually] instances where supplies of goods have been "unavailable" to retailers who have shaved prices rather too close to the bone, in order to shift stuff in quantity.
This is of course enforced to a large extent by the "dealership/exclusive dealership" pattern, and goods only sold to these outlets. The cachet supposedly offered by this status is - again, supposedly - earned by various guidelines or requirements.
Which, of course, is open to "reassessment" etc.... for any number of reasons.
One wonders what might happen if an approved outlet built up a stock and then started belting it out at a "non-premium" price ?
