Don, I am not a dealer so I can only pass this on as 3rd person information. I have spoken to some of the dealers about this same topic. I was told that Emerson is very strict about pricing and that if a dealer tries to sell for less than the price set by Emerson, they would no longer be permitted to sell as a dealer of Emerson knives.
If I misunderstood what I have been told, someone please correct me.