Choice

We are spoiled for choice. Cable companies offer hundreds of channels. Grocery stores contain thousands of products. Auto makers provide every car for every budget. We may feel that we have little time to choose but many decisions must be made on a daily basis. Recent articles I have read decry the fact that very few conglomerates create the majority of the products available in the retail market. They argue that so much of what could be manufactured is not and that we, the American public, suffer because of it. I think that life is hard enough with all the choices we have already.

I have no doubt that although many brands exist they are ultimately owned by a small handful of global companies. This is the nature of capitalism and I do not see the problem. Survival of the fittest is true whether we are talking about the jungle or the boardroom. And frankly there is not much of a difference between the two. In the long run I cannot see how the consumer is being denied anything. Take any category of retail spending and the options that exist are so many that even warehouse style stores cannot possibly carry them all.

Grocery stores may not have the exact brand you like but for every product there is always variety. Bookstores concentrate on what sells but if you look closely you will see tens of thousands of titles in a myriad of categories. As if the hundreds of channels on television were not enough we can now watch hundreds of shows on demand as well. Music and movies are the same. Whatever you can imagine can be bought or rented from sources as diverse as the Internet or at kiosks at grocery and drug stores. While it is true that our personal preferences may narrow our choices this does not diminish the panoply of all that we can enjoy if we so desired.

We are one of the richest nations in the world. Manufacturers and purveyors of every form of entertainment cater to almost every whim. If there is a buck to be made there is someone somewhere fulfilling that desire. If a niche is already being served there is an entrepreneur somewhere creating a new one. We are not lacking for choice. I still walk into large stores and feel my head spin as I take in the scene before me. We have more than our budgets or schedules will allow. If anything I wish that companies would produce a bit less and simplify the process a bit more.