You're shifting goalposts. Your first comment was about how small businesses could just refuse to sell, then a commenter described the (very real) consequences

You're shifting goalposts. Your first comment was about how small businesses could just refuse to sell, then a commenter described the (very real) consequences of that decision: a person has to work harder, for less money, to compete with entities that can outspend them by a few factors. Now you're saying that's more efficient overall which is a completely different point. And, that's true, it is more efficient. But those veternarians, despite now having their weekends off, are paid barely market rate for their skills (if that) and more importantly, no longer running their business: A PE firm is. That means they have zero recourse if the PE firm starts doing PE firm shit: keeping bare minimum stock at their clinic of every last consumable, to avoid taxation; keeping bare minimum staff at all times to avoid paying workers; abusing staff and causing high turnover; basically every stupid ass "why would they do that" type decision you've heard of a large business making in the last 30 years, PE's LOVE those decisions. And that's not even going into the fact that the profits of that business are no longer going to the community in which it operates, they're going to far away shareholders.