To each their own, of course, and I respect your opinion.
But I think I could make a pretty strong argument that appealing to "the greater good" is exactly what mega-retailers do, by bringing low prices to the greatest number of people on commodity and staple items. I sure can't complain about the impact of these retailers on the prices of basics which we now pay, mostly as a result of the advent of these retailers.
Of course, it's not always easy for smaller retailers to compete - I own a small retail business myself now, and we have to compete with Costco among others. We've had to change our business model, offering a better selection of hard-to-get items, with more knowledgeable staff, and as a result, I think we're a better retailer today. Having said that, it was a lot easier to make money before Costco came along. But as a consumer, that's not really the test, nor should it be.
I still patronize specialty retailers for all of those hard-to-find things for which the market is so small that Costco and Walmart don't even try to compete. People who care to sell the very best, and are knowledgeable about what they sell. For example, I love handmade knives from Carlton Evans, but I know that very few can or would spend what it takes to buy one. I'm glad that people who can't afford these can still pick up a decent knife made by a big manufacturer at Cabela's or Bass Pro.
It's just the competition between retailers, by the way, which is forcing us towards ever bigger retailers, to keep prices down. If consumers were happy to pay more, I think we'd see fewer of these deals!
That's what makes a market, and while it's made retailing tough, no one ever said anything worthwhile was going to be easy, or that what's best for retailers is automatically best for consumers.
