[WalterBright]

> A free market would be something like a farmers market where producers sell directly to consumers.

No, a free market is when people are free to make transactions with whoever they please. Big companies are just as free market as mom & pops.

[AlexandrB]

> No, a free market is when people are free to make transactions with whoever they please. Big companies are just as free market as mom & pops.

Not really. A company that's big enough to be (even a regional) monopoly forces people to transact with them by virtue of being the only game in town. The question is whether this is a continuous gradient from "more free" to "less free" or more similar to a step function when a company reaches monopoly status.

[WalterBright]

This is a big country and nobody has their feet nailed to the ground.

Your local supermarket may be the only one in your village, but the next village is easily attainable. Something being more convenient doesn't make it a monopoly.

I grew up in the Air Force. My mom would always shop at the base PX because it was cheaper, and sometimes it was a 30 minute drive away, passing store after store to get there. To make the drive worthwhile, she'd buy 2 weeks worth of groceries at a time.

[coliveira]

Reality in America has shown that the same supermarkets that exist in my town also dominate the next town. I don't know what alternate reality you're living on.

[WalterBright]

I live in the US. Plenty of choice. Even driving 30 minutes like my mom did. I suppose if you live on the tundra in Alaska, it might be a bit farther, but you could always just shoot a bear and eat it.

In Seattle, there are some neighborhoods without stores, but that is usually because the stores cannot handle the shoplifting anymore, and quit. It's still not far to another store outside those neighborhoods.

You can even buy food from Amazon from your Lazy-Boy. Push a button, and food appears on your porch.

If you have a really hard time finding food where you live, may I suggest:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/qelMhlI6f_o

[jessaustin]

If you're citing Amazon to prove that competition exists in any particular USA industry, you might want to take a short break to reevaluate your argument. Also, happy new year!

[WalterBright]

Walmart also sells online.

Happy new year to you!

P.S. I buy some food items from Amazon that, including shipping, are cheaper than what the local grocery store prices them at. Isn't American competition great?

[coliveira]

Are you free to make transactions with whoever pleases you? Most certainly not, the stock market (for example) is heavily regulated and controlled top down by Wall Street companies. The same for every other major industry in the USA.

[WalterBright]

> Are you free to make transactions with whoever pleases you?

Aren't you? I find that businesses like my money.

What stocks in the market are you prevented from buying?

[lotsofpulp]

Lots of people are excluded from buying equity in new businesses:

https://www.sec.gov/education/capitalraising/building-blocks...

[WalterBright]

That's because losers demanded that the government protect them from making bad decisions. Don't blame the free market.