Forgive me for saying this. We live in a capitalist country where competition is the name of the game. Competition usually yields lower prices for the same or better quality. It can be ugly. People may be paid less than we want. Local companies may be driven out of business. But, productivity, resourcefulness, efficiency, and ultimately lower prices are rewarded.
Maybe the home brew market is big enough to support a few national chains, but not big enough to support a local homebrew store in every town. I for one don’t want to feel guilty for searching online and locally for the best price and quality mix.
And another thing, maybe innovations in brewing equipment and techniques have made malt extract unnecessary as an entry level brewing ingredient. Maybe we don’t need to feel guilty for not occasionally brewing an extract beer.