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Malicious compliance. Someone probably said they can’t remove the product due to some kind of contract, I’m assuming.
That contract would also have display requirements that wouldn’t allow this. Often reps from these companies come in to the stores and do their own product management on the shelves, turning and presenting them attractively to the consumer. You can sometimes see someone in a branded outfit who doesn’t work for the store messing with the stock.
Oh I know about merch standards, I’ve worked for companies that do it. Doesn’t mean the individual stores don’t ignore them. This is a “oh woops those darn customers protesting” type excuse that’s slightly more tolerated then “I moved all your product to the back.”