> But they’re raising prices even as they rake in record profits. Ray Dalio recently wrote that "Wealth == Buying Power"[1], and notably record profits when de

> But they’re raising prices even as they rake in record profits. Ray Dalio recently wrote that "Wealth == Buying Power"[1], and notably record profits when denominated in a devalued/devaluing currency doesn't mean much. > Or consider another consumer product duopoly – PepsiCo (the parent company of Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Quaker, Tropicana, and other brands), and Coca-Cola. This isn't just on supply side with 2 "evil" companies raising their prices, but also on the demand side (elasticity). People need to wake up and stop being such automatons for their choice brand... Anecdotally i've observed people (imo irrationally) be so automatic with grabbing at what they're used to -- for example their choice coke/pepsi -- without considering alternatives and the marginal value. If the off brand soda is sitting on the shelf beside and it's 1/2 price this week on a sale, why not grab the cheaper option? There has been a trend of yolo/nihilism/hedonism that suggests "treat yourself", "it doesn't matter", "my pleasure in the cola is worth it" in my and younger generations which is creating a brand loyalty/inelasticity which allows companies to take greater and greater shares of wealth away in exchange for nearly nothing. [1]: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/inflation-wealth-ray-dalio/ https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/inflation-wealth-ray-dalio/