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The Federal Trade Commission is thankfully stepping up to protect affluent suburbanites from the impending threat of "shopping 'experience'" monopoly:
"The Federal Trade Commission recently announced it will sue to block Whole Foods from buying Wild Oats, a competitor in the high-end, organic supermarket space.
"The FTC's argument is that 'premium' organic-food peddlers don't compete against regular supermarkets, and its justification reads like promotional materials from Whole Foods. The FTC waxes lyrically about 'the breadth and quality of their perishables -- produce, meats, fish, bakery items, and prepared foods -- and the wide array of natural and organic products and services and amenities they offer,' adding that Whole Foods is not so much a supermarket as a 'shopping 'experience.'' Mr. Mackey, the Whole Foods CEO, would have to be tickled if the FTC weren't deploying this talk to kill the merger."
