Establishment of superstores has resulted in closure of small shops. Is it a positive or negative development?
Mushrooming megastores, where multiple types of products are available at one roof, are leading putting small outlets out of business. This phenomenon has been eulogized as a favorable evolution, nonetheless it is hard to overlook its pitfalls.
Superstores offer unprecedented convenience, in the form of affording relief from running pillar to post to buy necessities and other goods. Consumers can access goods of multiple varieties, brands and prices, saving them humongous time and effort. Similarly, in such stores, discounts and schemes are usually available, especially during the festive season, by virtue of these organizations procuring goods in bulk directly from producers, circumventing middlemen, at much lower cost; consequently, keeping the prices down. Above all, this evolution is also engendering skilled across a cross-section of skills, thereby benefiting the society at large.
Having said that, those skeptical cite unfavorable tendencies that this switch has produced: people are becoming spendthrift and jeopardizing their financial credentials, for they tend to fall prey to the aggressive sales promotion by supermarkets, and buy more than required, impacting their budget adversely. Sometimes, they must also buy in advance; they cannot visit these locations often. Moreover, goods cannot be purchased on credit basis, a facility readily available in small-scale stores. These factors cumulatively impact people financially.
To add to that, the sense of community is slowly waning: small shops rendered a way to interact with the neighbors. When one would go to shop at such places, they would meet their friends and also interact with them, whereas the large format stores tend to alienate visitors: everyone shopping is stranger to each other.
In hindsight, departmental stores offer colossal benefits; myriads of goods with varying prices and brands are available at a single place, and at affordable costs. Thus, this trend is favorable.
