[TheOtherHobbes]

Slotting fees are not the same model, and even if they were they're considered questionably ethical.

One difference is the branding. Grocery store products rely far more on branding, and slotting fees are often used for market research.

Stores cannot reproduce the branding, therefore their own-brand products don't have the same competitive appeal.

Amazon actually hides prominent branding. A few big brands have their own mini-stores, but most of the time you can't tell if you're getting a product from Amazon, from the original manufacturer, or from a retailer.

So when Amazon uses market analytics to decide which products to make and sell, it has a huge advantage - and it can and does wipe out existing sellers. Which is something grocery stores don't do.