They were trading at 36. They were bought for 42. Amazon paid a $4bln premium for an organization that is actively closing stores and scrapping expansion plans. Whole foods profit is down 50 percent, to $90 million a quarter. Hellofresh is an unprofitable company in an unprofitable segment, but it’s the biggest threat to Amazon Fresh, which is not only unprofitable but also overpriced enough to make Whole Foods look like Grocery Outlet.

If I had razor-thin profit margins, I'd sit this one the fuck out and let the irresistible force and the immovable object of "retail apocalypse" and "impending tech bust" crush my competitors. But if Amazon doesn't spend every spare dime they have, their shareholders will start getting used to non-zero dividends and that will be the fucking end of the company.

Walmart? Walmart is the Retail of Last Resort. Their business model prepays for abandonment of facilities as soon as the tax breaks sundown. And they remain the place that when you have to go there, they will sell you what you need.

This isn't even vaguely about Walmart. This is like that time they bought Daipers.com because it was easier than competing and because they had cash they needed to burn. Do not celebrate this as strategic brilliance; this is further metastisism of Amazon's monopoly - or-bust business model.

"they bought Whole Foods to better compete with Walmart." Listen to yourself.