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Philco made the Firestone deal in 1956. Goodyear Tire stores sold GE TV and appliances. Philco bought the Bendix Home Laundry and Crosley Radio-TV from Avco in 1955. Firestone was branding Raytheon and some others, but the stores needed a full line supplier to compete with Goodyear stores. As discounting eroded margins, most tire retailers eased out of TV and appliances. There were very few remaining by the early 70s.
Distributors were given exclusive territories. The distributors established their own rules for the dealers in their markets. Dealers that were meeting volume targets were generally left alone. Those that did not soon had company. Exclusives were usually given more slack than multiple brand retailers. Furniture and department stores typically handled high-end consoles and combinations. Discounters specialized in portables and low end consoles. The distribution usually figured out its own formula for the market.
There were two shows a year where dealers were expected to "renew their franchise" with a buy-in order. There were packages consisting of a quantity of products at package price. Once the dealer took delivery, the distributor's salesman was back for another order.
The Seventeener III was one of Philco's best sellers. The factory line rate was 5,000 a week.
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