I think corporations learned some very dangerous lessons from the pandemic.
The demand for essential goods is inelastic. They can charge whatever and people still have to but things, especially food, household products, and a place to live.
They can understaff and underpay employees, and people will choose to fault people for laziness rather than the deliberate corporate choices that lead to the situation.
Corporations have built such a large market share so as to have created giant barriers to entry that there is zero competition from new businesses.
Even larger competitor corporations are happy to wink and nod as you both raise prices, cut staff, and give paltry raises because it just means you both make more money, and so long as you don’t say it out loud, it isn’t collusion.