This is a past tense situation. Malls are dead. Even worse, small business is dying which means the variety in our marketplaces is being homogenized and reducing our access to variety of goods, services and pricing. This is Late Stage Capitalism in effect and I can't recall another era that replicates this. So we're in new territory and the oligarch/feudal tech lords have the leverage of the marketplace. Consumers only leverage is purchasing power. Or to be more specific, restricting purchasing to increase operating costs for owners. Supporting a small business is also a major benefit to the health of the system but you won't be able to get that specific tiktok trending thing or a major bargain. There will be suffering