They are 5% of retail sales, and the consumer has never had more shopping choices with such ease and convenience from the comfort of their own home. I buy a lot from Amazon because they are cheap, efficient, and really easy to deal with. But if I choose not to buy from Amazon, I can't think of a single item I couldn't get from numerous other online or brick and mortar retailers. Comcast is a monopoly in my neighborhood. If I want high speed internet, I have exactly one choice (Uverse is not an option in my neighborhood). I have a hard time understanding how Amazon is "very close" to creating a monopoly (mo·nop·o·ly
/məˈnäpəlē/ the exclusive possession or control of the supply of or trade in a commodity or service) when they don't sell a single thing of consequence that I can't buy from 10 other sources. How is that "very close" to a monopoly?

I seriously don't get it. I do get that Amazon is a juggernaut with huge logistics and scale advantages over its competitors. And like Walmart used its scale to put smaller retailers out of business in the past, Amazon is doing the same. But Walmart wasn't a monopoly either. They were just big, efficient and ruthless. And both have had the net effect of reducing prices for the consumer. Now you could argue that the rise of Walmart came with other societal costs... but that's a different issue altogether. At no point was Walmart in danger of wielding monopoly power to the detriment of the consumer. Neither is Amazon. Is the trajectory of Amazon concerning? I guess. At some point they could command enough of the market where the gov't would need to intervene. But with 5% of retail sales, it seems laughable to suggest that point is now.