When I owned a cafe, a Coca Cola rep once came by and we set up a deal wherein I would get display refrigerators to put in my store and Coca Cola would resupply them with product.
After a point, I found I could buy other drinks more cheaply from Restaurant Depot and filled the fridges with them, reducing my orders from Coke. They must have realized because the rep returned and asked me to only store drinks we bought through them in the fridges.
How is this situation any different? Are suppliers unable to offer you a discount in exchange for exclusivity?
They asked you not to put their competitors' stuff in 'their' fridge. They didn't say that you weren't allowed to buy competitors' stuff without their permission, or require you to inform them if competitors even _talked_ to you.
Like, whether Coca Cola should be allowed do that is another question, but it _is_ a very different thing, and certainly a far less aggressive thing.
For what it's worth, though, both the FTC and the EC have repeatedly investigated Coca Cola over various anti-trust issues, including around how they deal with distributors.
When I owned a cafe, a Coca Cola rep once came by and we set up a deal wherein I would get display refrigerators to put in my store and Coca Cola would resupply them with product.
After a point, I found I could buy other drinks more cheaply from Restaurant Depot and filled the fridges with them, reducing my orders from Coke. They must have realized because the rep returned and asked me to only store drinks we bought through them in the fridges.
How is this situation any different? Are suppliers unable to offer you a discount in exchange for exclusivity?
> How is this situation any different?
They asked you not to put their competitors' stuff in 'their' fridge. They didn't say that you weren't allowed to buy competitors' stuff without their permission, or require you to inform them if competitors even _talked_ to you.
Like, whether Coca Cola should be allowed do that is another question, but it _is_ a very different thing, and certainly a far less aggressive thing.
For what it's worth, though, both the FTC and the EC have repeatedly investigated Coca Cola over various anti-trust issues, including around how they deal with distributors.
not if they have monopoly status