The Bigger the Company, the Bigger the Scam

Why is it that well-known chains seem to provide increasingly worse quality for smaller quantities and then charge a premium, just because you know the store name?  It seems to me, that the better known a store is, the more their reputation would be on the line.  But that never is the case.  In the case of landscape supply, a large chain supply store is now offering a mulch from a well-known grass seed company, which is in their words the "finest quality mulch."  The mulch is color enhanced, likely meaning that it is chemically dyed, which will add chemicals to your soil.  It is finely ground, which they have then marketed as a product that "will save you money." The fact is that larger mulch may block water to some parts of soil, but it should not significantly block water from getting to the soil, unless you lay the mulch at a great depth, which will prevent plants from growing altogether.  They also recommend laying their mulch at a 3" depth, which will suffocate plants in plant beds (2" is the recommended depth of mulch, 4" or more if you want nothing to grow).  However, it's to their benefit to recommend more than necessary, because then you would need to buy anywhere from 30% to 50% more mulch for the same square footage.  It is true that finely ground, soft mulch is better quality because it is easier to handle, and looks nicer, but don't let them trick you into believing it will do anything for your water bill.  These days, companies are looking for more ways to market to people looking to go green.  But the best way to attract customers looking for organic products, is to actually have organic products.  This must be a strange concept for the big companies that feel the need to stock the same products, but market them as green.