It is one of the great ironies of our society that - in the desire to maximise the value of their consumer dollar - people will fear the very market mechanisms and freedoms which enable them to do so.

Woeful channel 7 current affairs show Today Tonight had another episode from tabloid TV's bottomless mine of small trader being crushed by an evil corporation stories. The "victim" on this occasion was Fruiterer Sam Hilsaca, who ­ apparently unaware of the realities of the retail business ­ bought a fruit and vegetables business only to be now crying foul that other local businesses are (gasp!) competing with him. In the guise of uncovering evil business practices, the show's reporting team revealed that the neighbouring supermarket took note of Mr. Hilasca's pricing and then - god help us all - actually lowered their prices to compete.

"Safeway boys, they come and check our prices and they put their prices according to our prices - that's every day and sometimes two or three times a day," Mr Hilsaca said. "They are very aggressive and in general any business could be aggressive - but in the way that they come and check your prices every day, obviously that's trying to step all over you."

A nearby independent service-station operator had a similar whinge

"It's standard operating procedure for big business. They don't like having to compete with low cost small operators and if they can get rid of them early on they can jack their prices up," he said. And as with fruit and vegetables, Mr Andronikou says for consumers it's a short-term gain for long-term pain. "In the future they will make more money and you will pay more and you'll have less choice," he said.

Our fearless reporters used lots of hidden camera techniques, snappy editing and ambush-interviewing tactics to reveal to the world the horrible truth: big businesses compete for customers with smaller businesses. Gadzoots!

How can we avoid the big-business horrors of cheap pricing and better product choice? To remain a good citizen, and fight off the creeping threat of an efficient retail sector, here are some tips on how to spend your shopping dollar:

1- Practice What You Preach: when you go shopping, actually spend your money at a small business. A radical concept to be sure, but you'll find supporting the noble small businessman with dollars as opposed to fuzzy vibes will work wonders in helping the underdog stick it to 'em. Of course, in order to do his successfully, you'll have to follow rules 2 thru 4.....

2- Readjust your schedule: You'll often find - especially in the case of grocery shopping - that the small guy aint open as often as the larger supermarkets. However tempting it may be, do not permit yourself to choose to spend your money at a bigger business, which will actually be open when you need to buy something. This is all to protect the future of consumer choice you understand. Of course, in Canberra we are lucky enough to have had successive progressive-minded governments who have ensured - through legislation - you cannot buy groceries at 4am if you want to.

3- Be satisfied with less: The small trader often won't have a good a range of products. The larger businesses will have a better range of products, but remember, those guys are evil (however are we expected to cope with all that choice?), so be prepared to shop only at the small business and often go without the product you want, or having to buy an inferior product. This is all to protect the future of consumer choice you understand.

4- Spend more money, all the time: With small traders, you have two "increased spending" options: First, you can be forced to spend more money (because they're more expensive than larger businesses), or - as in the case of our oppressed Fruiterer Mr. Hilsaca - you can voluntarily pay a larger amount than the asking price. Oddly enough, the latter option doesn't seem too popular with folks who have small business sympathy syndrome. Give it a try anyway. The small businesses proprietor could use that extra revenue to provide paid employment to new staff (which those ghastly big businesses seem so successful at), provide a better product range, increase the opening hours, offer better prices thru economies-of-scale purchasing so that you - the socially righteous consumer - won't have to pay the expensive prices big retailers aren't actually foisting on us.

Under no circumstances should you indulge in the wanton act of spending your money when and how you want to spend it. Hell, if people were able and inclined to do such things we might end up with convenient opening hours, cheaper prices and out-of-control employment growth, and god knows what deleterious effect this mayhem may have on consumers!