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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JohnRTroy" data-source="post: 5065837" data-attributes="member: 2732">The thing to remember is that there are always consequences.I mostly use Amazon nowadays--but then I've always been an odd duck as I don't like to "go shopping", and I embraced the mail order world.However, there are always consequences to actions.  If you choose to get products at the cheapest price, that is good for the consumer, but not always good for the industry.  Right now independent bookstores are struggling to battle the loss-leader strategy of selling the best selling hardcovers at below cost.  That can hurt the smaller stores and it can hurt the publishers and authors by artificially reducing prices.A good example of seeing what consolidation can lead to are the results in other industries.  There is a good documentary that you can rent now on DVD/PayPerView called "Food, Inc." which I highly recommend and it goes into the problems we have with the food supply in the western world--as there is a lot reduced competition and some of the things done for mass production can hurt us, not just in an economic sense.  (It goes into things like how the fast food industry reduced the price of some foods and changed how they do business).In short, one of our biggest flaws in our modern culture is to look at short term vs. long term.  That is something I encourage more people to look at.</blockquote>