But of course this doesn’t stop me from really, really, wishing we had a Trader Joe’s too. What is the deal, why such a wait?

At any rate, I would expect Sun Harvest/Wild Oats to have access too better wholesale prices and adjust their retail prices accordingly before Whole Foods raised theirs.

“Always food”

should have been

–Always good–

I was momentarily pre-occupied with delicious cage free scrambed eggs. btw, there was a bit of discussion of cruelty free egges over at the Hit’n'Run yesterday:

http://www.reason.com/blog/show/120593.html

First off, thanks for blogging an antitrust issue. Always food when these issues get attention. They have been neglected for too long now.

Economically speaking, the story of antitrust law is the story of Milton Friedman’s flip on antitrust law. Specifically, Friedman was for it, got a political appointment and then was suddenly against it. Although the antitrust laws have never been taken off the books, and there is still nominal agency scrutiny of mergers, antitrust is simply a dead letter. All sectors of the economy have proceeded, over time, to become far too consolidated, and this is the central economic problem of our time. having read some of your previous writing on “consumer choice,” I have a feeling that you pretty much get this, Mr. Sanchez.

What I think is interesting about Whole Foods getting a hard time is that it kind of confirms Freidman’s flip flop on antitrust. Near as I can tell, Freidman gave a couple of reasons for being for antitrust law before he was against it. One reason was relection on decades of study — aka, trust me I am an expert. That reason is not compelling, of course, except to corporatarians.

His other reason is that consolidated companies will do whatever it takes to get their hands on the levers of antitrust law, in its execution, and will use antitrust law to crush smaller competitors, turning this body of law 180 degrees away from its intended consequences, like Goliath doing courtroom and agency ju jitsu. This argument of Friedman’s cannot be dismissed out of hand.

Returning to the Whole Foods proposed merger at hand, this could very well be a classic case of Whole Foods larger competitors using antitrust law to hurt Whole Foods and thereby help themselves. If one agrees with this assessment, then there are a couple possible reactions:

(i) take this as yet another data point confirming Friedman’s late career condemnation of antitrust law; or

(ii) use this as an opportunity to spread the word about what is wrong with antitrust law so that new laws can be conceived and implemented to address the observed antitrust law problem with enthusiasm and in good faith.

My feelings are somewhat mixed, but I favor approach (ii) because I don’t think it has ever been tried.

Maybe on the Front Range, but I’ve never particularly noticed that on the Western Slope. ‘Course, I can only think of one natural foods store in Grand Junction off of the top of my head.

Maybe on the Front Range, but I’ve never particularly noticed that on the Western Slope. ‘Course, I can only think of one natural foods store in Grand Junction off of the top of my head.