That's okay, you touched my same nerve. Everyone I know had their health insurance cost go up and/or benefit go down. What makes banana-scanners think they're somehow different (oh, yeah, they have a union). As if those grocery jobs were somehow skilled labor!

Companies are like sharks, they have to make a profit or fold-up and blow away. If the union had its way the entire chain of stores would be closed (shortly after Wal-Mart started selling groceries in our area).

As far as stuff made in China... you do realize you're riding (and selling?) a Japanese bike, right? Talk about living in a glass house! Your reasoning is probably the same as mine, if something near-equivalent was made in America you'd buy it. That's why I drive a Corvette Z06, a best-in-class vehicle. I am proud to support USA companies wherever it makes sense. We live in a global market. That Chinese furniture will come here whether the employees at USA factories stick their heads in the sand (be inflexible, unions) or not. If you're not competitive then you deserve the competition. That's capitalism to me.

Back on topic, assuming low-ball pricing gives a dealer $400 gross profit then what is so wrong with asking for a deal that give's 'em $700 - $900? Is that insufficient margin? I might believe that for a product that must be inventoried but not for a ship-to-order like a PDP order. My point is, by not competiting they're getting zero from me versus the profit I already mentioned. Any form of moral outrage gets pretty shaky for a vendor of imported goods...