John Deere strongarmed changes through their whole dealer network some years ago, and they culled/shut down small dealers or forced assimilation with larger ones. I'm sure they thought hard before doing it, but it makes a statement about the esteem small business/low volume holds with their company at a corporate level.
Made me sick to hear of longstanding small family businesses getting kicked to the curb because their location couldn't support targets established in a boardroom states away.
When the locations owner is in the shop, knows the line, sells the product, there simply is more confidence from the consumer and crew, and they demonstrate personal pride in the integrity of the product and business success... they make great products, and have huge brand recognition, but when the owner is a nameless, faceless conglomerate or an individual with multiple locations, doing "whats right" may not be in alignment with whats right.
Loyalty requires wanting to gain, satisfy and retain every customer looking for your products, from the one spending millions a year on new equipment to they guy looking for a seal from a line discontinued in the 1950's , and the message conveyed with ushering out the small dealers was: "we don't waste time with small business".
I think there are great dealers out there, who still have a mentality of serving every customer, but clearly it is not a corporate tenet, so shop around, and ask where the owner is!
Brown, I think many of us share your sentiments. May I ask, how you know these things ? Or, what source of information did you use ? I think it would support or lend credence to your post.
Thanks,
John