> The stores you'd probably promote, small mom and pop stores, generally have 50%+ margins. Let's assume this is true, along with your other margin numbers (I

> The stores you'd probably promote, small mom and pop stores, generally have 50%+ margins. Let's assume this is true, along with your other margin numbers (I honestly have no idea one way or the other offhand). Where does that money go? It goes to Mom & Pop buying stuff at other stores in the area. It goes to improving the small store (by paying contractors, vendors, and other people in the area). It goes to Mom & Pop improving their house (by paying contractors in the area). In short, it goes back into the community. Where does Walmart's 25% go? At best, Bentonville, Arkansas. At worst the Waltons' offshore accounts. Where does Amazon's 5% go? It gently gilds the top of Jeff Bezos' staggeringly and increasingly titanic fortune. High margins, on their own, are not a bad thing that we should automatically seek to squash. They are one datapoint among many, and must be taken in context.