You're probably right on that... although I do work for a company that has products in retail stores across the United States and Canada, it's not a "household name" sort of company. Still, I have complete discretion with regard to what vendors we use for our electronic designs and most companies are happy to call me back, send samples, send salesmen, etc. (I guess since I'm the *only* EE there, that makes me the "chief" EE by default).