Quoted from scott_freeman:There are laws in USA prohibiting 'price fixing'.
MSRP is just that. "suggested"
Your best option, as a buyer, is to call as many distributors as you can find, and make them work for the sale.
Or just be loyal to one solid distro and he/she will take care of you over the years.. even when a hot title comes along.
Last note it’s not just about price! You may shop around and find out you could save a few bucks on a machine, but if you have a problem with that machine and have a good, long time, high volume distro in your corner.. it is a valuable thing and is hard to put a price on!