I've avoided them nearly totally for decades, only recall two times, once in Page, AZ when no other store was open, and once in Lodi when I had to have a phone handset cord...
The argument that big chains need to be reined in has gained traction with the Federal Trade Commission, which is tasked with enforcing the Robinson-Patman Act. Under Chair Lina Khan, appointed in 2021, the FTC has embarked on an aggressive path of antitrust enforcement, and in March, Khan said that the agency wanted to bring more cases under the law “in short order.” (Khan wrote an influential critique of how antitrust policy failed to rein in Amazon while a student at Columbia Law School.) In addition, FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya has embarked on a listening tour around the country, meeting with independent grocery stores and pharmacy operators and talking about how Robinson-Patman enforcement could help them thrive. The FTC has reportedly opened a preliminary investigation recently into whether pricing practices at Coca-Cola and PepsiCo violated Robinson-Patman, but has not yet brought a formal action.
http://time.com/6307359/government-ftc-walmart-prices/?utm_source=roundup&utm_campaign=20230202
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