Attention Economy Is a Malthusian Trap
It will be tougher for Amazon to squash grocery stories than it was to squash Sears.<p>Grocery stores are highly competitive because people go to the grocery store every week.  For the grocery store it is a game much like &quot;the iterated prisoner&#x27;s dilemma&quot;.  Every week they have a chance to uphold their brand image or make a quick profit.  Every week they have a chance to lose big and make you switch to another grocery store.<p>So they choose to uphold their brand images.<p>Stores and brands in other areas where transactions are less frequent have more incentive to harvest.  For instance,  nearly all makers of major appliances have given up on upholding brand image and source their appliances from the same factories in the far east.  They break down in a few years but they might not be in business again,  or maybe they bought the brand that you&#x27;re going to try next.<p>Grocery stores,  from ALDI to Wegmans,  are excellent in their own way,  unlike mall stores.