To some consumer product marketers, retailers are the enemy. Rarely a day goes by when we don't hear a complaint about the process of getting P-O-P into stores. Some marketers see the whole process as adversarial and can be quite bitter about the experience; others are wistful, longing for a time when retailers were more passive and the world was a simpler place.
But the world has changed. Retailers aren't the enemy, but they really aren't interested in being your buddy, either. Good marketers are realists, and they understand that by working closely with retailers, they can (dare I use the phrase?) create a "successful partnership."