I think the relationship between Hi-Fi Dealers and Customers is somewhat two tier, and I will explain what I mean by this.
A notionally 'good' Hi-Fi dealer will bring equipment to the customer's attention that they have sought out through informed analysis and extensive research. These will as often as not be products which don't necessarily appear in the pages of magazines or advertisement literature. I hate to do it, but to paraphrase (loosely) something that David Cameron (yes, that 'Dave' Cameron) said recently, a good Hi-Fi dealer ought to put his ears first, his customers second and his profit margins third.
I have found very few shops which have ventured a significant enough depth down the rabbit hole of the Hi-Fi World. Those that have immediately earned my respect because seeking out a good collection of equipment to sell, and then having the confidence to know that you will not necessarily have the benefit of widespread publications to bring all of this gear to the average punter's attention, means that a dealer invariably trusts his own ears and the ability of the customer (me) to discern for myself what sounds musical.
This hobby of ours is the preserve of a significant number of affluent, well educated people. But it is also the preserve of a lot of well-conditioned people, the sort that believe what they read in newspapers and (unfortunately) magazines and will make decisions almost entirely based on this.
The internet certainly has not harmed sales figures, and that people are willing to plunge for so many products 'blind', with no audition, provides very strong evidence to suggest that the way a product sounds is no longer the most significant motivating factor in a person making a purchase. Most of us enthusiasts would agree this is by no means ideal, but testimony and publicity are undoubtedly bigger stimulants for consumers to spend than direct experience.
This simple truth has led, recently, to 'chain' dealers in particular - and I do not want to name any names here for legal reasons - demanding that manufacturers and distributors do more to protect this particular section of the market, and these types of dealers constitute the other 'tier' of which I spoke in the opening paragaph.
We all know what this eventually culminated with - a lot of equipment can no longer be sold mail order, or indeed over the web at all (must be a face to face transaction). This has kept prices for a lot of kit artificially high and has meant manufacturers can set RRP at pretty much whatever they want - hence, along with other factors, the prices of gear steadily creeping up over the 10 years I have been following this industry.
In the UK at least, this poses a lot of problems as it has meant that the emphasis for our beloved hobby has become very much out of kilter - it is a seller's market, the buyer has little to no power with which to negotiate.
I know, for example, of one particular British manufacturer - who's kit I myself own and use every day - who are guilty of this. A fairly well known dealer was offering equipment by this manufacturer at discounted prices - nothing wrong with that. They initially had to keep the discounts a somewhat closely guarded secret, for reasons I initially could not comprehend. The rumour mill began turning, and it became somewhat common knowledge that the dealer in question was offering discounts. The manufacturer found out about this, and immediately stopped supplying the dealer with their kit and revoked their dealership rights.
Now, this is a proxy method of manufacturers enforcing what is essentially price fixing. Price fixing in the UK is illegal, as we all know. Who do we have to thank for this? 'Chain' Hi-Fi and Home Cinema dealers who stamped their feet when they lost sales to internet and small scale competitors. They demanded they be better protected by manufacturers, they had a ludicrous argument (if our stores have to close there will be no place for the consumer to have direct contact with equipment - a fallacy). History now shows us that the manufacturers played ball and climbed further up the authoritarian ladder to protect their high street dealership.
That has saved (temporarily) some stores, but it is going against everything we know to be true of market logic and economics. It has also led to artificially inflated prices for consumers (ourselves), who no longer have the benefit of market competitiveness to drive prices down.
For me, this has lead to several conclusions. The first - if you find a good Hi-Fi dealer, stick with them, as they are very hard to come by these days. The second - I will NEVER buy brand new products from manufacturers I know to be utilising these 'price fixing' tactics. At the moment, I shop almost exclusively second hand in Hi-Fi (with some exceptions). The third - the consumer needs to demand precisely what the dealers did a few years ago. Dealers have rights - let's not deny that, but this price fixing scandal is certainly unethical and possibly illegal.
I would like to see it changed, and I am currently investigating legal avenues for pursuing this issue further. Law is one of those unusual paradoxes in the 21st century though - intuition quickly allows you to deduce right from wrong, but objective analysis is the necessary component which allows you to put across your case. That requires evidence - difficult to find in this hobby in more than the obvious sense!