In my experience, the free market hollows out the medium range and lifts the price of the high range above what average people can afford. So all that's left for them is crap.
I think the high end stuff was always expensive. Why do you think furniture was passed down from generation to generation? It’s just that globalization and technology have made the low end so cheap, that by comparison it feels like the high end stuff is too expensive. But that is just your preference for lower cost, good enough items coming through!
(This take not backed up by any data, just my opinion.)
