The troubles don't show themselves on the consumer side, they show up on the labor side. Monopsony makes it hard to find competing job offers when all the competing stores have been closed.
Oh, that's a good point. I've often thought that the reason unions are so important is that employers bargain collectively by default because, well, companies are groups of people, not individuals.
On the other hand, IIRC studies show that larger companies pay more than smaller ones, and I think there have even been suggestions that this explains some of the GDP per capita differences between developed nations, that some have more large companies that are then more productive due to economies of scale and specialization.
On the other hand, IIRC studies show that larger companies pay more than smaller ones, and I think there have even been suggestions that this explains some of the GDP per capita differences between developed nations, that some have more large companies that are then more productive due to economies of scale and specialization.