Final answer:
Large, progressive wholesalers are reacting to rising costs by improving efficiency, often due to technological advancements or better employee education, resulting in falling average total costs and increased consumer benefits.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to the text, today's large and progressive wholesalers have successfully reacted to rising costs by improving efficiency. This improvement can occur due to technological advancements across the industry or through better education for employees. As a result, decreasing cost industries like high-tech sectors allow firms to experience falling average total costs. These reductions in costs can translate into various benefits for consumers, including a larger variety of goods available at lower prices, hence increasing consumer benefit and market competitiveness without considerably increasing prices or decreasing product diversity and customer service.