Nowadays there is an increasing trend of big shopping centers opening up while small shops are closing down. What are the advantages or disadvantages of big shopping centers versus small local shops?
Big shopping centers have been taking over the market and this is causing small retail outlets to shut their business. In my opinion, super markets are a profit for the customers and the owners as compared to small shops. In this essay, I shall highlight potential reasons for my stance.
Shopping centers have been an elevation of small shops; these are more convenient as they offer a wide variety of merchandise under one roof, like groceries, clothes, utensils and even electronics. The products sold guarantee standardized quality and warranty. This saves people from the humongous investment of time and effort they have to put running from pillar to post to get all the necessities, offering unprecedented convenience. Moreover, these places can easily accommodate a huge number of individuals without any problems. Besides this, visitors are also afforded safety and parking space for vehicles.
However, there are certain drawbacks one can hardly ignore. Despite offering comforts, large format stores have also resulted in people overspending: most of these stores tend to lure shoppers with offers and discounts, catapulting the people into buying spree, making them overspend; eventually landing them in deep financial troubles, and, of course, social wastage. Apart from that, gone are the days when one could buy small quantities without planning a big shopping trip by just walking to a neighborhood store and buying the required goods. Besides this, obtaining credit is no longer a luxury that small format stores offered effortlessly as buyers enjoyed a personal rapport with shopkeepers and always had an option of paying later, as per their convenience, at their disposal. This aspect has hit the middle and lower income groups badly.
Similarly, small local stores, although have been a long tradition, earlier when supermarkets did not exist, these were the only way of acquiring goods. Overtime, they were of little benefit to the buyers because of a limited range of items available and also brought close to no profit for the owners, resulting in shutting down the shops. Besides, having not so much space to fit in people also caused a lot of chaos and stress that eventually fled people away. These stores offered no discounts or deals to attract customers, while the quality of goods was not satisfactory as well.
On the whole, despite some failings, big stores have been successful in turning the shopping experience into an enriching rendezvous. Now one can enjoy unparalleled comfort while shopping and at the same time be guaranteed of the quality of products.
