Certain things are only possible at scale. Take Amazon as an example. Its vast scale and vertical integration means that I can purchase something often much mor

Certain things are only possible at scale. Take Amazon as an example. Its vast scale and vertical integration means that I can purchase something often much more cheaply than any smaller competitor can offer it, and have it shipped and arrive on the same day for a nominal fee (something totally unthinkable even 10 years ago). So while middle class jobs running mom-and-pop retail stores are lost, we may gain a commensurate decrease in the cost of goods. I’m not an economist, so I can’t begin to speculate whether this is a net economic gain. Is it better to have more higher paying jobs but more expensive goods, or fewer higher paying jobs and cheaper goods? Is this a false dichotomy? It’s interesting to note that inflation in the price of pretty much all consumer goods has dramatically lagged income inflation over the last 20 years[0], suggesting that net consumer savings have indeed been substantial. [0] https://www.patientrightsadvocate.org/price-changes-on-selected-us-consumer-goods-and-services-wages https://www.patientrightsadvocate.org/price-changes-on-selec...