Many businesses also have "loss leaders." I worked in the rental car industry many years ago, and our loss leader was a Geo Metro, which was advertised at a daily rental rate of $10 or $15. It made the phone ring, and got people in the door, and in many cases, we were able to up-sell the customers into a larger car. Many pharmacies are doing that today with generic prescriptions. At $2.00 or $4.00 for a generic drug, the store is likely only breaking-even or maybe even losing money on that sale, but they know that once the customer is in the store, he or she is buying milk, bread, etc. and spending more than just the price of the drug.
Even if MTH only breaks even on continued production and sales of remotes, if it keeps customers coming back to buy trains, it may be wise for them to re-think this and find a way to make it work. On the other hand, as long as the money keeps flowing in their direction, there's no incentive for them to do so.
