'Voting with their wallet' is actually an expression used to remind people that what they actually buy is what is affecting the market, not what they say or wha

'Voting with their wallet' is actually an expression used to remind people that what they actually buy is what is affecting the market, not what they say or what they wish. What I'm actually saying is that if you need to enter a physical store for some type of goods, then it is not stupid to pay a markup. That's actually paying for a service you need (and for the record, it is very unlikely that it is a service I need). In all the example you gave, it is ok to tell people to stop complaining and vote with their wallet. eg: you complain you want mom and pop retailer to survive but you only shop at WalMart, vote with your wallet or shut up. ( again for the record, a lot of the mom and pop retailer just sucked, the added value they provided was limited to the convenience of being located where you once did most of your shopping, not expert advices, choice, accessibility, or any kind of flexibility or service. They were replaced because once they lost the location advantage, they simply provided not reason to set a foot in their shop ever again. If you regularly go to a village lost in the middle of the countryside, you probably understand what I mean )