> We don’t have government-run grocery stores like we have government-run schools. And yet most people in the country seem pretty happy with their grocery store

> We don’t have government-run grocery stores like we have government-run schools. And yet most people in the country seem pretty happy with their grocery stores. They can get whatever they want there, and if they can’t afford it, we subsidize it with a “voucher” (i.e. food stamps). The profit motive hasn’t led to a rapacious system of exploitation. This isn’t strictly true for poorer areas. Grocery stores that have a predominately captive clientele (i.e. can’t afford to drive long distances and have big kitchens to store bulk purchases from discount big box stores) do tend to charge more for the same goods than stores in more affluent / mobile areas.