A NYC business is unlike a lot of other businesses.
NYC requires lettering to be on trucks with letters 2" high. That attracts thieves, so, lettering is ONLY 2" high and is usually very cryptic. Their trucks probably have MPCE on the side.. white trucks, black letters, huge padlock on the back, security screen between the front and back. Their store probably has hundreds or thousands of whatever item they sell in that store -- easily making it a thieves paradise.
NYC businesses would rather make a penny per product and push a million products, than a dollar per product and push ten thousand. The math comes out the same, that's just how they do things. As a result, they will buy 1000 products from a manufacturer (usually bypassing a distributor) and then will sell those products at a slight markup -- even to their competitors.
They aren't the absolute geniuses here.
There used to be a company called Krista Manufacturing that has a small 100 sq. ft. office on the docks of Long Beach's port. When a container ship comes in, they roll over to the container and start assembling orders, UPS picks them up at the container. Their pricing used to be phenominal. No returns on anything... you took your chances. But, when buying parallel printer cables for $1.19 when they were sold by local distributors for $7.95, you took your chances.
Its always amazed me how grey market macs (and HPs) worked. Macs have such tight sales channels, I have never figured out how they are getting them out the door and able to price them cheaper without Apple stopping it. And if they are reselling them purchased through legitimate channels, then I am unsure why Apple would have any problem supporting the warranty. I get the picture that someone at apple is selling these machine off the docks when I hear grey market...