Will Wellcome and ParknShop merge? It seems Hong Kong’s two biggest supermarkets have decided that they are single and ready to mingle. But if coupled, critics have warned that grocery prices will skyrocket and their duopoly will become a monopoly.

In my opinion, these quite dire predictions are understandable, if perhaps over-exaggerated. I am not saying they are like Chicken Little in cautioning the sky is falling, but I suspect the people making such claims do not actually do their family’s weekly shopping – or at least have not gone on a grocery run for about five years.

The reality is that savvy consumers have lots of choices beyond the two mega chains. Like many sectors, the entire paradigm of food retailing is shifting unpredictably. As much as the taxi industry was transformed by upstart car-hailing apps and the traditional media altered by online content start-ups, how we buy produce is changing.

To be clear, I hope the two corporate giants do not consolidate. I think a free market should mean more competition, not less. But if they do marry, it is less an upheaval than another case of how legacy companies try and stay afloat as they fail to adapt.

After all, successful businesses do not want partners. They swallow up small fry or kill weaker prey. You only join forces with an ally if you are struggling.

As a bargain shopper, I get super cheap and fresh veggies at street stalls and wet markets. Speciality suppliers like DS Grocer and Best Mart 360 often have great deals for common consumer goods. Frozen meats and Chinese goods are always on sale at Kai Bo shops. And if I am lazy, everything is pretty much available online from platforms like HKTV Mall.