It doesn't need to be maximally efficient, just efficient enough that we can stop thinking about it. Lots of electric utilities fit this bill. So does the post

It doesn't need to be maximally efficient, just efficient enough that we can stop thinking about it. Lots of electric utilities fit this bill. So does the post office. I'm sure there are others. These organizations aren't fighting to save every penny or inventing new features nobody is asking for to differentiate themselves from other offerings, but shopping around all the time has a cost too, so we're probably better off just letting the post office be a little inefficient. It costs us each an extra few cents per stamp, but in return we don't have to shop around for stamps and there is always a post office nearby, everywhere in the country.