If you’ve been trying to buy a new TV lately, you may have noticed that the prices are generally the same for each model, regardless of the physical or online store that sells it. This is no coincidence or accident. It’s called Unilateral Pricing Policy, or UPP, and it’s how manufacturers force retailers to stick to specific prices. This means there aren’t as many crazy discounts, no deals on the most popular models and brands, and let’s be honest, it means there’s very little price competition. There are plenty of exceptions, of course, and not all stores adhere to the UPP, but most major retailers do.
Why televisions cost the same everywhere
The UPP is nothing new. Apple and Bose have been doing it for years, and more recently Samsung, LG, Sony and other TV manufacturers have done it with their products. What this means is that if you’re looking for a new TV, platforms like Amazon and your local electronics chain will probably sell it for the same price . So save your gas, or more likely your clicks, by comparing different prices or going from store to store.
Is this legit? Good question. Although fixing the same prices is illegal, a company can do business (or not) with whomever it chooses. So, when a company avails itself of the unilateral pricing policy to sell televisions, what the manufacturer is really telling them is that if they sell a device for less money than stipulated, they will stop sending them televisions to sell.
The good part of this, if there is any good part, is that the brands that make televisions do not have the authority or monopoly to set specific prices , they would only feel threatened if the businesses do not follow the guidelines to set prices that they suggest the brands themselves.
Goodbye big discounts
Manufacturers claim that the UPP protects their dealers, and in a way, that’s true. These profits are detrimental to the development and expansion of the store itself, and also contribute significantly to reducing showrooming (customers see a television in a store and then buy it online).
However giants like Amazon weren’t too keen on the idea of unilateral pricing when it first started to surface. The good news is that there are many excellent and very cheap televisions. Value for money has never been better. However, deep discounts on televisions during the holiday shopping season are generally limited to very specific models from a certain store, and usually to small, few-inch models.
In any case, this does not mean that you are not aware of the offers. The UPP does not mean that there are no more bargains, but it does mean that the number of great discounts is getting smaller and smaller.
